ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic will start the 2022-23 NBA season with two road games for only the second time in franchise history and will play their home opener Saturday, Oct. 22 against the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics, the Magic announced Wednesday.

The Magic will travel to Detroit for their opener on Wednesday, Oct. 19, setting up a matchup between 2022 No. 1 draft pick Paolo Banchero for the Magic and 2021 top selection Cade Cunningham for the Pistons.

On Friday, Oct. 21, Orlando will pay a visit to the Hawks in Atlanta in a divisional matchup that will feature Banchero and guard DeJounte Murray, a game made particularly interesting because of what happened when they faced off in a pro-am tournament in Tacoma, Wash., earlier this month. Murray dunked on Banchero, who has not yet played in an NBA regular-season game, and taunted him and then continued to engage with him on Twitter. Both players are from Washington, and this is Murray’s first year with the Hawks after Atlanta acquired him in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs.

The road travels will not end there. Orlando opens with six of its first eight games on the road.

The last road game in that string is the first NBA meeting between Banchero and this year’s No. 2 overall draft pick, Chet Holmgren, on Nov. 1 in Oklahoma City. That game is the team’s lone scheduled national TV game of the year, and it is on TNT. Three Orlando games are scheduled to air on NBA TV.

The Magic's longest home stand of the season will come in November, when the team plays seven in a row at the Amway Center from Nov. 3-16. That home stand will include the lone visit from the defending champion Golden State Warriors (Nov. 3) and the lone visit from Jabari Smith Jr. and the Houston Rockets (Nov. 7). Many insiders predicted that the Magic would select Smith with the top overall pick before the team selected Banchero instead.

Orlando's longest road trip will take place from Jan. 7-15, when they head out West on a trip that will feature games against the Warriors (Jan. 7) and two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets (Jan. 15).

The Magic’s busiest months will be November, December and March, when they play 15 games each.

The team is scheduled to play on back-to-back nights 13 times (26 days). Orlando will also play six sets of games against the same team back to back, playing both home games against the Philadelphia 76ers starting the day after Thanksgiving on Nov. 25 and 27, both home games against the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 9 and 11, both road games against the Celtics on Dec. 16 and 18 and both games against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 4 and 6. The Magic will play both of their road games in Indiana, on Nov. 19 and 21, and in Philadelphia, on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.

The Magic will close their season with consecutive road games against the Brooklyn Nets (April 7) and Miami Heat (April 9). Orlando's final home game of the season will take place April 6 against the Cavaliers.

The only other time in franchise history that Orlando opened the season with two road games was in the 2013-14 season, against the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves. They finished that season with a 23-59 record.

The Magic finished with a 22-60 record last year, the second-worst mark in the NBA, and oddsmakers expect them to be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference again in the upcoming season.

Preseason Schedule

All times are Eastern.
Oct. 3 at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m.
Oct. 6 at San Antonio Spurs, 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 at Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 11 vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m.

Regular Season

All times are Eastern.

October
Oct. 19 at Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m.
Oct. 21 at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 22 vs. Boston Celtics, 7 p.m.
Oct. 24 at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 26 at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 vs. Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m.
November
Nov. 1 at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 3 vs. Golden State Warriors, 7 p.m.
Nov. 5 vs. Sacramento Kings, 5 p.m.
Nov. 7 vs. Houston Rockets, 7:15 p.m.
Nov. 9 vs. Dallas Mavericks, 7 p.m.
Nov. 11 vs. Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m.
Nov. 14 vs. Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m.
Nov. 16 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m.
Nov. 18 at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m.
Nov. 19 at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m.
Nov. 21 at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m.
Nov. 25 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m.
Nov. 27 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 6 p.m.
Nov. 28 at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 30 vs. Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m.
December
Dec. 2 at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 3 at Toronto Raptors, 8 p.m.
Dec. 5 vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7 p.m.
Dec. 7 vs. L.A. Clippers, 7 p.m.
Dec. 9 vs. Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m.
Dec. 11 vs. Toronto Raptors, 6 p.m.
Dec. 14 vs. Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m.
Dec. 16 at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 18 at Boston Celtics, 3 p.m.
Dec. 19 at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 21 at Houston Rockets, 8 p.m.
Dec. 23 vs. San Antonio Spurs, 7 p.m.
Dec. 27 vs. L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m.
Dec. 28 at at Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m.
Dec. 30 vs. Washington Wizards, 7 p.m.
January
Jan. 4 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 7 p.m.
Jan. 5 vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m.
Jan. 7 at Golden State Warriors, 8:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m.
Jan. 10 at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.
Jan. 13 at Utah Jazz, 9 p.m.
Jan. 15 at Denver Nuggets, 8 p.m.
Jan. 20 vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 7 p.m.
Jan. 21 at Washington Wizards, 7 p.m.
Jan. 23 vs. Boston Celtics, 7 p.m.
Jan. 25 vs. Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Miami Heat, 8 p.m.
Jan. 28 vs. Chicago Bulls, 7 p.m.
Jan. 30 at Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m.
February
Feb. 1 at Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m.
Feb. 5 at Charlotte Hornets, 1 p.m.
Feb. 7 vs. New York Knicks, 7 p.m.
Feb. 9 vs. Denver Nuggets, 7 p.m.
Feb. 11 vs. Miami Heat, 7 p.m.
Feb. 13 at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m.
Feb. 14 at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 23 vs. Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m.
Feb. 25 vs. Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 27 at New Orleans Hornets, 8 p.m.
March
March 1 at Milwaukee Bucks, 8 p.m.
March 3 at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m.
March 5 vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 6 p.m.
March 7 vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7 p.m.
March 9 vs. Utah Jazz, 7 p.m.
March 11 vs. Miami Heat, 7 p.m.
March 14 at San Antonio Spurs, 8 p.m.
March 16 at Phoenix Suns, 10 p.m.
March 18 at L.A. Clippers, 3 p.m.
March 19 at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.
March 21 vs. Washington Wizards, 7 p.m.
March 23 vs. New York Knicks, 7 p.m.
March 26 vs. Brooklyn Nets, 6 p.m.
March 28 at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m.
March 31 at Washington Wizards, 7 p.m.
April
April 2 vs. Detroit Pistons, 6 p.m.
April 4 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m.
April 6 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m.
April 7 at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m.
April 9 at Miami Heat, 1 p.m.