Last week’s release of the 2025-26 NBA schedule means Magic basketball is inching closer and closer.
Orlando will open the year with three consecutive home games at Kia Center for the first time in franchise history.
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Jamahl Mosley‘s squad will play on national TV 14 times, including three on NBC and three on ESPN, as the group searches for a third straight trip to the playoffs.
But Orlando doesn’t just want to reach the postseason. It wants to advance past the first round, something the Magic haven’t accomplished 2010 after six different early exits.
The journey to that point won’t be easy. There are bound to be twists and turns throughout an 82-game season as the Magic learned the hard way last year.
With that in mind, there are key components of Orlando’s upcoming schedule that are worth examining:
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Bon voyage
The Magic are, by far, traveling the most miles in the league, and that’s because of two factors.
Orlando generally travels more than most teams year-in and year-out due to their West Coast trips. But this season’s pair of games against the Grizzlies in Europe put its mileage over the top.
The Magic will travel 53,208 miles, according to PositiveResidual.com, which is up from last year’s 43,744 miles traveled.
Orlando is one of three teams traveling more than 50,000 miles this season, joined by Portland (50,605) and Memphis (50,015), which the Magic will face in Berlin and London.
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Back-to-back bonus
Because of their trip overseas, the Magic are getting a slight break on the back-to-backs. Orlando is playing 14 back-to-backs, which are the second fewest. Twelve other teams are playing 15 or 16 back-to-backs while only six are playing 13.
Five of Orlando’s 14 back-to-backs are home-and-homes (meaning they don’t require any travel) and two are away-to-home (meaning the second game is at Kia Center).
Still, the Magic will have 12 games where they’re at a rest disadvantage (meaning their opponent has more rest than them), which are the third-most. That said, Orlando has 11 games where its at a rest advantage, an amount that’s middle of the league.
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Crucial stretch
How the Magic look when they return from Europe in late-January will be key. Orlando plays three of its next five games at Kia Center, including its first two contests upon traveling back home.
The results after of such a long trip have varied for teams who have played internationally in the past.
Last season, the Pacers won three straight and four their next five after playing San Antonio in Paris.
Meanwhile, the Spurs lost four of their next seven. Similarly after defeating the Pistons in Paris in 2023, the Bulls lost three of their next five.
Familiar faces
Given their roster changes this summer, the Magic will match up against a number of former teammates.
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That includes guards Gary Harris and Cole Anthony, who play twice in Orlando with the Bucks Feb. 9-11. Milwaukee then hosts the Magic on March 8.
Orlando will also face Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during its pair of Europe games with Memphis, which landed the two-time NBA champion as a part of the Desmond Bane blockbuster exchange in June.
If Caleb Houstan sticks with the Hawks, who reportedly agreed to a one-deal with the young wing in July after Orlando declined his club option for the upcoming season, the Magic would see him twice in the first two weeks of the regular season. They’d play each other two more times in the spring.
Photo finish?
The importance of the final week of the regular season will depend on how the rest of the year plays out.
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Two years ago when Orlando finished fifth in the East, it needed a win on the last day of the regular season to secure its spot in the playoffs. Last season, however, the Magic had their spot as the No. 7 seed in the Play-In Tournament locked up before their last two games.
For a second year in a row, Orlando will play four of its last six games on the road, including its last two at Chicago and at Boston.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com