ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic will open the 2023-24 season, their 35th anniversary in the NBA, at home on Oct. 25 against the Houston Rockets and then hit the road for four games on their first West Coast road trip, according to the scheduled released by the league on Thursday.

This marks the first time since the 2019-20 season that the Magic have started the season at Amway Center, but the rest of the early season is quite a gauntlet.

The next four games are at Portland on Oct. 27, at Los Angeles for a trick-or-treat back-to-back against the Lakers on Oct. 30 and the Clippers on Oct. 31, with the trip wrapping up in Utah on Nov. 2.

When the Magic return home, they get a day of rest before facing Lebron James and the 2023 Western Conference finalist Lakers again Nov. 4. Next up will be Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on Nov. 6. Then they head to Mexico for what will be considered a home game for Orlando against the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 9. That means the Magic only will play 40 home games at Amway Center this season, while most teams play 41 on their homecourts.

The team will have a day off after the game in Mexico before hosting Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 11.

The Magic also will end the regular season at home, against the Bucks on April 14, one of three home games during that month.

The defending champion Denver Nuggets, including MVP Nikola Jokic and former Orlando forward Aaron Gordon, will come to Orlando on Nov. 22. French sensation Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and the San Antonio Spurs will visit Feb. 8.

Their busiest month will be January, when they play 16 games. They play 14 games each in November and March. Their longest homestand this season will be eight games, from March 17 to April 1. Their longest road trip is five games from Jan. 29 through Feb. 6, and they have multiple four-game road trips, including their second West Coast journey from Dec. 31 through Jan. 5.

The schedule also includes 15 back-to-backs, which means they will play 30 of their 82 games on consecutive days.

The November schedule also includes the Magic's In-Season Tournament games between Nov. 17 and 24. 

The Magic will play on TNT against the Thunder on Feb. 13, a game that features the first regular-season matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 picks from the 2022 NBA Draft, Orlando's Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren. The teams were supposed to meet for Orlando's only game on one of the major national cable networks last season, but the TV schedule was changed when Holmgren was injured during an offseason game in 2022 and had to miss last season.

The Magic also have four games on NBA TV during the regular season, with no scheduled games on ESPN or ABC.

Magic 2023-24 regular-season schedule

October

• Oct. 25 vs. Houston, 7 p.m.
• Oct. 27 at Portland, 10 p.m.
• Oct. 30 at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
• Oct. 31 at Los Angeles Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

November

• Nov. 2 at Utah, 9 p.m.
• Nov. 4 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
• Nov. 6 vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.
• Nov. 9 vs. Atlanta (in Mexico City), 9:30 p.m. (considered home game)
• Nov. 11 vs. Milwaukee, 6 p.m.
• Nov. 14 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. (In-Season Tournament game)
• Nov. 15 at Chicago, 8 p.m.
• Nov. 17 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (In-Season Tournament game)
• Nov. 19 at Indiana, 5 p.m.
• Nov. 21 vs. Toronto, 7 p.m. (In-Season Tournament game)
• Nov. 22 vs. Denver, 7 p.m.
• Nov. 24 vs. Boston, 2:30 p.m. (In-Season Tournament game)
• Nov. 26 vs. Charlotte, 6 p.m.
• Nov. 29 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.

December

• Dec. 1 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 2 at Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 4-9 NBA In-Season Tournament (TBD)
• Dec. 11 vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 15 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
• Dec. 17 at Boston, 3 p.m.
• Dec. 20 vs. Miami, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 21 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
• Dec. 23 at Indiana, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 26 at Washington, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 27 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 29 vs. New York, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 31 at Phoenix, 8 p.m.

January

• Jan. 2 at Golden State, 10 p.m.
• Jan. 3 at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
• Jan. 5 at Denver, 9 p.m.
• Jan. 7 vs. Atlanta, 6 p.m.
• Jan. 9 vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 12 at Miami, 8 p.m.
• Jan. 13 at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
• Jan. 15 at New York, 3 p.m.
• Jan. 17 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
• Jan. 19 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 21 vs. Miami, 6 p.m.
• Jan. 22 vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 26 at Memphis, 8 p.m.
• Jan. 28 vs. Phoenix, 6 p.m.
• Jan. 29 at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
• Jan 31 at San Antonio, 8 p.m.

February 

• Feb. 2 at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
• Feb. 4 at Detroit, 3 p.m.
• Feb. 6 at Miami, 3 p.m.
• Feb. 8 vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 10 vs. Chicago, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 13 vs. Oklahoma City 7:30 p.m.
• Feb. 14 vs. New York, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 22 at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 24 at Detroit, 8 p.m.
• Feb. 25 at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 27 vs. Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 29 vs. Utah, 7 p.m.

March 

• March 3 vs. Detroit, 6 p.m.
• March 5 at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
• March 6 at Washington, 7 p.m.
• March 8 at New York, 7:30 p.m.
• March 10 vs. Indiana, 6 p.m.
• March 13 vs. Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
• March 15 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
• March 17 vs. Toronto, 6 p.m.
• March 19 vs. Charlotte, 7 p.m.
• March 21 vs. New Orleans, 7 p.m.
• March 23 vs. Sacramento, 7 p.m.
• March 27 vs. Golden State, 7 p.m.
• March 29 vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 7 p.m.
• March 30 vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.

April 

• April 1 vs. Portland, 7 p.m.
• April 3 at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
• April 5 at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
• April 7 vs. Chicago, 6 p.m.
• April 9 at Houston, 8 p.m.
• April 10 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
• April 12 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• April 14 vs. Milwaukee, 1 p.m.