Orlando Magic vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Game Preview

ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic are about to embark on their first road trip of their 2026-27 campaign.

But before they do, they’re hoping to pack a win in their suitcase from home.

The Magic (0-1) look to record their first victory of the season when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves (1-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

“It’s a long process,” said Magic center Nikola Vucevic. “It’s a long season. A lot of ups and downs. You have to fight through adversity, you have to fight through good moments. You have to try and stay at the mid-level. I think for us, because it’s very new and we have a new coaching staff, it’s about continuing to build that foundation and continuing to build what we want to do. Take it day by day. Some days, it’s going to look great. Hopefully, it looks great tonight and we get a win and everything’s great. But then tomorrow, we have to understand we have another one on Sunday (in New York against the Knicks). And you have to start from zero (again).”

Orlando will have its hands full with a Minnesota squad that lets it rip from beyond the arc. The Wolves fired off an NBA season-high 50 triples in their opener against the Miami Heat and knocked down a whopping 21 of them.

Four-time All-Star Anthony Edwards poured in a team-high nine of them on his way to a sensational 45-point night, while LaMelo Ball, acquired from the Charlotte Hornets this summer, knocked down five of his 13 attempts from beyond the arc.

“Just trying to limit their threes,” said Magic guard Jase Richardson. “In their last game, they got a lot up and hit a lot of threes. So, trying to manage that and make them take tough twos. Ant and LaMelo are going to try and get to their spots, so we have to try and limit them.”

Not only will the Magic have to be extremely diligent in guarding the 3-point line, but they’ll have to do a better job of defending it without fouling. Orlando was guilty of fouling a 3-point shooter on three occasions against Atlanta and committed 28 fouls overall.

Offensively, the Magic will look to build on an opening night showing where they tallied 125 points against one of the most aggressive defenses in the league. In addition to superstar forward Paolo Banchero’s magnificent 35-point, seven-rebound, 10-assist outing, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. each added 22 points.

As a unit, Orlando dished out 30 assists, the fourth most of any squad in its 2026-27 debut.

IN AND OUT: Anthony Black (right ankle sprain), Jonathan Isaac (left knee injury management), Izaiyah Nelson (left ankle injury recovery) and Noah Penda (right partially torn hamstring) are out for Orlando.

For Minnesota, Donte DiVincenzo (right Achilles tendon repair) is out.

KEY STATS: Banchero became the first player in NBA history to post 35-plus points and 10-plus assists, while shooting at least 80 percent from the floor in a season opener.

“I loved his aggressiveness,” Sweeney explained. “I thought he did a great job of really trying to put pressure on the defense, and I think he can be even better. But he did a great job in a lot of areas, and I thought he did a good job of drawing the defense, attacking, finishing. Obviously, he shot it very well (and) got to the free throw line a lot. So, did a great job there and can keep getting better."

QUOTE TO NOTE: “It brought back some good memories. I’ve definitely done it a couple of times. They were giving me talking points about what I need to say, and I was like ‘I’ve done it about six or seven times.’ (laughter) So, I’m good. But it was great. It was really nice to receive the reception that I did. I could see the fans’ reaction. It was special to get that respect and love from the fans for everything that I’ve done so far. Hopefully, a lot more to come. It was great to do it.” – Vucevic

HOW TO WATCH: Watch the contest on MagicTV.