Dec. 23 vs. Miami Heat
A win over the defending Eastern Conference champion Heat would be a great way to tip off the season. For the fourth time in the last five years, Orlando will host Miami on opening night. Key matchups include Nikola Vucevic versus Bam Adebayo, two of the premier playmaking centers in the NBA, and Terrence Ross versus Duncan Robinson, who combined to make 17 3-pointers the last time these teams met back on March 4. Both the Magic and Heat will rely on continuity to get them off to good starts. Orlando is bringing back all five starters from last year’s squad, while Miami has its main core returning minus Jae Crowder.
Dec. 26 & 27 at Washington Wizards
To reduce travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be occasional back-to-back matchups between the same teams throughout the season. That will be the case for the Magic during their first road trip of the year when they take on the Wizards on consecutive nights right after Christmas. Washington was involved in the shortened offseason’s biggest blockbuster trade, acquiring nine-time NBA All-Star and former league MVP Russell Westbrook from Houston in exchange for John Wall and a future draft pick. The chemistry between Westbrook and Bradley Beal, who averaged 30.5 points last season, second most behind James Harden’s 34.3, will likely determine how far the Wizards go in the East. All wins for the Magic, Orlando scored over 120 points in each of the four meetings against Washington in 2019-20.
Jan. 11 vs. Milwaukee Bucks
For the first time since their playoff series at Disney, won by Milwaukee in five games, the Magic and Bucks will square off. Adding to the intrigue will be D.J. Augustin, who signed with Milwaukee in free agency, making his first return to Amway Center. Augustin played four years with Orlando, averaging 10.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 291 regular season games. His most memorable moment in a Magic uniform came during the 2019 playoffs against the Raptors when in Game 1 he buried a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining. Another new guard in Milwaukee is Jrue Holiday, acquired from New Orleans last month in a deal that sent Eric Bledsoe and future picks to the Pelicans.
Jan. 16 at Brooklyn Nets
The Magic will get their first look at Kevin Durant in a Nets uniform during a six-game road trip in mid-January. Brooklyn, assuming its two superstars, Durant and Kyrie Irving, stay healthy, are thought of by many to be the favorites to reach the NBA Finals this season. Critical for Orlando in this contest is to dominate down low. Vucevic and Aaron Gordon have favorable individual matchups. The Magic won three of the four meetings against the Nets in 2019-20. One of them came on Feb. 24 when Gordon, who was sensational between the All-Star break and the play stoppage in March, recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds and had a clutch block on Caris LeVert in the closing seconds.
Jan. 20 at Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves had a tough decision to make with their first overall pick. Unlike many years when it’s obvious who the top player is, this year nobody was head and shoulders above the rest. They went with Anthony Edwards, which based on fit seems like a wise choice. The trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Edwards will be an entertaining one to watch, especially with the amount of offensive firepower they each provide. Towns and Vucevic are two of the league’s premier 3-point shooting big men, making that one of the more intriguing individual matchups in this contest.
Jan. 31 at Toronto Raptors
The Magic will be in Central Florida all the way from Jan. 24 until Feb. 9. Seven of the games during that period will be played at Amway Center, while the other will take place at Tampa’s Amalie Arena, the Raptors’ temporary home. While they did bring Fred VanVleet back, the Raptors lost their main two centers from the last few years, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. Both are now in L.A., Gasol with the Lakers and Ibaka with the Clippers. Toronto’s lack of size should give Vucevic an advantage. Also intriguing is the battle at point guard, with Kyle Lowry and Markelle Fultz manning those spots for their respective teams.
Feb. 11 at Golden State Warriors
The Magic’s trip out West during the first half of the schedule will have them head to Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento and Phoenix. Although they will be without Klay Thompson for a second straight season, the Warriors expect to climb back up in the West and challenge the Lakers and the other elite teams in the conference. Stephen Curry, who only played in five games last year due to a hand injury, will need to play like the way he did a few years ago when he won the MVP award in back-to-back seasons for them to have a realistic chance. Also key for them is getting good production from Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre Jr. and James Wiseman, Golden State’s No. 2 overall draft pick last month.
March 3 vs. Atlanta Hawks
To stay in the top eight in the East by season’s end, the Magic will have to fare well in meetings against their division adversaries. One of which is the Hawks, the most active team in free agency this year. Atlanta signed veterans Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Rajon Rondo, which should help out its young core, notably Trae Young, John Collins and De’Andre Hunter. This matchup will also feature two of the top 15 picks in last month’s draft, Onyeka Okongwu for Atlanta and Cole Anthony for Orlando. By this point of the season, perhaps both will be playing increased minutes.