7 dates, storylines to keep an eye on with the Magic’s 2022-23 schedule
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The Orlando Magic will open the 2022-23 regular season against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 19 and their first home game will be vs. the Boston Celtics on Oct. 22 at Amway Center after the NBA released the full schedule Wednesday afternoon.
The Magic will play six of their first eight games on the road and have their longest homestand from early to mid-November before playing a balanced schedule the rest of the way.
Orlando opens training camp on Sept. 27 at its new AdventHealth Training Center.
Magic ticket plans, suites and single-game tickets will go on sale at 1 p.m. on Aug. 26. The Fast Break Monthly Pass, which was introduced last season, will return for 2022-23. It includes up to five games each month for $49. Learn more at OrlandoMagic.com/FastBreak. More information about pre-sale access can be found at OrlandoMagic.com or by calling 407-89-MAGIC.
Here are seven highlights from the schedule:
Opener vs. Pistons
Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft, will make his Magic debut when they open their season at the Pistons.
It’ll be a matchup not only between the NBA’s last pair of top picks (Banchero and Montverde Academy alum Cade Cunningham), but two teams in similar stages of their rebuilds, making for a good early test in the season for both squads.
Magic-Hawks rivalry?
Banchero and Dejounte Murray, whom the Atlanta Hawks traded for in June, won’t have to wait long to play each other again after their social media back-and-forth following a pro-am game this summer.
Orlando’s Oct. 21 game against the Hawks at State Farm Arena will mark the second time in franchise history the Magic have opened a season with consecutive road games.
Home opener vs. East champs
The Magic will play their first home game against the defending Eastern Conference champion Celtics, who lost to the Golden State Warriors in NBA Finals.
The Celtics have won the last nine matchups against Orlando dating to the 2019-20 season.
Return to national TV
The Magic’s lone game that’s scheduled to broadcast on prime national TV will come on Nov. 1 when they play at the Oklahoma City Thunder, who drafted Chet Holmgren with the No. 2 pick.
The matchup will be broadcast on TNT. It’s the Magic’s only non-NBA TV nationally televised game. They have three games scheduled to be broadcast on NBA TV.
Orlando, which didn’t have a game on ESPN, ABC or TNT last season, is one of four teams (Utah Jazz, Pistons and Thunder) that isn’t scheduled to have an ESPN or ABC game.
Matchup vs. Smith, Houston
The Magic will play the Houston Rockets and Jabari Smith, the No. 3 pick in the draft, for the first time on Nov. 7 at Amway Center.
Most media outlets predicted the Magic were going to draft Smith with the top pick before they selected Banchero.
Longest home stretches
The Magic will have a season-long seven-game homestand from Nov. 3-16, matching up against the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
They’ll also have a five-game homestand from Dec. 5-14.
Longest road trips
The Magic will be on a season-long five-game West Coast trip from Jan. 7-15. They also have three four-game trips — Dec. 16-21, Jan. 30-Feb. 5 and March 14-19. Amway Center will host games from the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament on March 16 and 18.
Schedule (All times Eastern, home games are in bold)
All locally televised Magic games will be aired exclusively on Bally Sports Florida. Games also can be heard on the Orlando Magic Radio Network (FM 96.9 The Game).
October – preseason
3: at Memphis, 8 p.m.
6: at San Antonio, 8:30
7: at Dallas, 8:30
11 vs. Memphis, 7
14 vs. Cleveland, 7
October – regular season
19: at Detroit, 7
21: at Atlanta, 7:30
22: Boston, 7
24: at New York, 7:30 (NBA TV)
26: at Cleveland, 7
28: Charlotte, 7
30: at Dallas, 7:30
November
1: at Oklahoma City, 7:30 (TNT)
3: Golden State, 7
5: Sacramento, 5
7: Houston, 7:15
9: Dallas, 7
11: Phoenix, 7
14: Charlotte, 7
16: Minnesota, 7
18: at Chicago, 8
19: at Indiana, 7
21: at Indiana, 7
25: Philadelphia, 7
27: Philadelphia, 6
28: at Brooklyn, 7:30
30: Atlanta, 7
December
2: at Cleveland, 7:30
3: at Toronto, 8
5: Milwaukee, 7
7: L.A. Clippers, 7
9: Toronto, 7
11: Toronto, 6
14: Atlanta, 7
16: at Boston, 7:30
18: at Boston, 3
19: at Atlanta, 7:30
21: at Houston, 8
23: San Antonio, 7
27 L.A. Lakers, 7
28: at Detroit, 7
30: Washington, 7
January
4: Oklahoma City, 7
5: Memphis, 7
7: at Golden State, 8:30
9: at Sacramento, 10
10: at Portland, 10
13: at Utah, 9
15: at Denver, 8
20: New Orleans, 7
21: at Washington, 7
23: Boston, 7
25: Indiana, 7
27: at Miami, 8
28: Chicago, 7
30: at Philadelphia, 7
February
1: at Philadelphia, 7
3 at Minnesota, 8
5: at Charlotte, 1
7: New York, 7
9: Denver, 7
11: Miami, 7
13: at Chicago, 8
14: at Toronto, 7:30
17-22: NBA All-Star Break (Salt Lake City)
23: Detroit, 7
25: Indiana, 7
27: at New Orleans, 8
March
1: at Milwaukee, 8
3: at Charlotte, 7
5: Portland, 6
7: Milwaukee, 7
9: Utah, 7
11: Miami, 7
14: at San Antonio, 8
16: at Phoenix, 10 (NBA TV)
18: at L.A. Clippers, 3
19: at L.A. Lakers, 9:30
21: Washington, 7
23: New York, 7 (NBA TV)
26: Brooklyn, 6
28: at Memphis, 8
31: at Washington, 7
April
2: Detroit, 6
4: Cleveland, 7
6: Cleveland, 7
7: at Brooklyn, 7:30
9: at Miami, 1
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
