Seen on:
as known from New York Timesas known from USA Todayas known from yahoo!
VA

Orlando Magic Opener History

A look at the Orlando Magic's history in season openers
Publish Date: 08/14/2019
Fact checked by: Mark Lewis
ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 10: Mike Miller #50, Tracy McGrady #1 and Grant Hill #33 of the Orlando Magic walk on the court during the NBA preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on October 10, 2002 at TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida. The Magic won 98-86. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2002 (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images)

The NBA unveiled the 2019-20 schedule on Monday and teams now know where they will begin their season.

Fresh off their first playoff appearance since 2012, the Orlando Magic managed just one ESPN contest and a couple NBA TV slots. Orlando however, will open the season against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 26.

The new schedule led one to look at Orlando’s season-opening history. The Magic have defeated the Miami Heat in each of the last two season openers.

Record in openers: 17-13
The opener often isn’t an indicator of how the entire season will play out, but the Magic have started off on the right foot more often than not.

Most common opponent in openers: Miami Heat and Washington Wizards
The Magic have opened the season with division foes Washington and Miami each five times. Orlando had played the Heat in each of the last three openers. The Magic last opened with Washington during the 2015-16 campaign.

In season openers, Orlando is 4-1 against the Heat and 2-3 against the Bullets/Wizards.

Largest margin of victory in openers: 29, twice
The Magic’s largest margin of victory on opening night in 29 points on two occasions. The first came in a 114-85 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 30, 2001. Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill combined for 45 points in the win.

Orlando opened the Amway Center on Oct. 28, 2010 with a 112-83 victory over the Washington Wizards. Dwight Howard finished with 23 points on an uber-efficient 7-for-9 shooting to go with a game-high 10 rebounds.

Most lopsided loss in openers: 17, at New Orleans Pelicans, Oct. 29, 2014
The largest loss in an opener for the Magic came a year prior to their closest loss. Despite a 17-point, 23-rebound performance from Nikola Vucevic and 25 points from Tobias Harris, the Magic were no match for the New Orleans Pelicans in a 101-84 defeat.

Anthony Davis finished with 26 points and 17 boards to lead the Pelicans. Former Magic forward Ryan Anderson added 22 points. Omer Asik added 14 points and 17 rebounds.

Closest win in openers: one vs. Milwaukee, Nov. 3, 2004
The closest win ever for Orlando in an opener came during the 2003-04 season against the Milwaukee Bucks, 93-92. Michael Redd had seemingly delivered the Bucks with a jumper to put them in front by a point with 3.5 seconds to play.

In his Orlando debut, guard Steve Francis won the game for Orlando with a lay-in just before the buzzer. Francis finished with 26 points and seven assists in his Magic debut. Redd led Milwaukee with 19 points.

Closest loss in openers: one vs. Washington, Oct. 28, 2015
Five years after tying their largest margin of victory in an opener, the Orlando Magic suffered their closest loss ever in a season opener, falling to the Wizards by an 88-87 margin. The Wizards closed the game on a 6-0 run capped by a John Wall basket with less than 13 seconds to play.

The Magic looked to have answered on the other end when former Orlando center Marcin Gortat was called for goaltending. Replay would overturn the call before Nikola Vucevic missed a jumper as time expired. Victor Oladipo paced Orlando with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Washington’s Bradley Beal led all scorers with 24 points.

Best Magic performance in openers: Nick Anderson, Nov. 6, 1992 vs. Miami
Orlando Magic guard and the first played drafted in franchise history, Nick Anderson, had one of the best performances of his career in the 1992-93 opener at home against the Miami Heat.

On 17-for-26 shooting, Anderson finished with 42 points to go with eight rebounds, six assists and five steals. With the contest tied at 91 after three quarters, Anderson poured in 16 points in the final period to lead the 110-100 victory. Shaquille O’Neal would score 42 points for the Magic in the season opener against the Heat the following season.

Longest streak in openers: Five wins, 2000-04
From the start of the Tracy McGrady era to the start of the Dwight Howard era, the Orlando Magic started 1-0 in five straight seasons. Victories during that stretch came over the Wizards, Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Bucks. The longest losing streak for the Magic in openers is four from 2013-16.

Read Also
Top 10 Best NBA Defensive Teams Of All Time
The NBA has gone through many phases in its history, from the ...
Top 10 White American NBA Players in History
Today, we look at the greatest white American basketball players in the ...
Bet365 Promo
Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89)
Many of us dream of celebrity sports fame, but only cruel individuals ...
Tommy Morrison and AIDS: The Truth about what happened, and how he Died.
Tommy Morrison burst onto the professional boxing scene in 1988. Following a ...
The Greatest College Basketball Team of All Time
Rating the greatest college basketball teams ever has been done many times ...
Indiana Basketball Weekly
Welcome to Indiana Basketball Weekly, your dedicated podcast for all things Indiana ...
Come Fly with me: How the 1988-89 Chicago Bulls pushed forward to an NBA dynasty.
Find the best sportsbook to bet on the NBA Playoffs! Prologue: By ...
What is the Best Decade of Basketball in NBA History?
15Every NBA player and fan thinks that their generation of basketball was ...
Top 50 NBA players under 25 years old in 2021: Doncic bests Young
This year’s playoffs confirmed that the NBA is in good hands. The ...
Grading every NFL team’s picks from the 2021 NFL Draft
Quickly, click away if you’re going to get upset by reading draft ...
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....

21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.
Virginia Town HallCloudflareSSL
Close
Our Sports Pros recommend these awesome sports betting sites this week:
BetMGM
BetMGM Bonus
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
T&Cs apply, 21+
Promo Code:
Go to BetMGM
Get Bonus
FanDuel
FanDuel Bonus
Bet $5 Get $300 in Bonus Bets if you win
+ 3 Free Months of NBA League Pass
T&Cs apply, 21+
Promo Code:
Go to FanDuel
Get Bonus
Bet365
Bet365 Bonus
Bet $5 Get $200 or $1000 First Bet Safety Net
T&Cs apply, 21+
Whatever the sport. Whatever the moment. It's Never Ordinary at bet365. That's why if you sign up now you'll get the choice of two great New Customer Offers, the First Bet Safety Net up to $1000 or Bet $5 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets. Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
Promo Code:
Go to Bet365
Go to Bet365
×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Play now