Orlando starts the week at 0-1 against a Minnesota team that went 49-33 last season and arrives on its third road game in a row. After that, the Magic leave home to face the Knicks on October 25, then play the Raptors in Toronto on October 28 and again on October 30.
Minnesota is the opponent that matters most, and the gap is real.
Last season Minnesota went 49-33 with a 3.1 net rating. Orlando finished 45-37 at 0.6. Chris Finch's team is 1-0, and ESPN reported that Anthony Edwards opened with 45 points. He averaged 28.8 last season. With Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert also in the lineup, Minnesota has the length to show whether Orlando can protect the paint better than it did Wednesday. In that loss, the Orlando Sentinel's count had Atlanta scoring 60 points in the paint and 24 off 20 Magic turnovers. Donte DiVincenzo is out for Minnesota with an injury to his right Achilles. Neither team is on a back-to-back, and each had a day off.
The road swing rewards the team that adjusts fastest.
After Friday, Orlando plays three straight games away from home: New York on October 25, then Toronto on October 28 and again on October 30. The second Toronto game counts toward the Emirates NBA Cup. There are no back-to-backs in the stretch. Playing the same opponent twice in three days is a test of coaching under Sean Sweeney: what fails on Wednesday has to be fixed by Friday. Boston comes to Orlando on November 1.
Black and Isaac are aiming for New York, while Penda and Nelson are weeks away.
Anthony Black (right ankle) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee) are listed out for Minnesota, and both are projected back for October 25 at the Knicks. Black averaged 15.0 points in 29.8 minutes last season, so his return should help a backcourt that has been giving the ball away. Noah Penda's partially torn right hamstring will keep him out until an estimated November 18. Nelson's left ankle has the same estimated date.
Suggs has to get his shot back while his minutes keep climbing.
Jalen Suggs is playing 9 more minutes a night over his last three games, but his true shooting over his last five games is 37.2%. Jamal Cain is up 10 minutes a night over the same span, and his scoring hasn't followed. A healthy Black should take some of Cain's minutes. Suggs, at $32.4M, is the player this week will tell the most about. He shot 33.9% from three last season, and Orlando needs his scoring to match his minutes.
When are Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac expected back for the Magic?
Both are listed out against Minnesota on October 23. Both are projected to return on October 25 at New York.
Is the Magic's October 30 game at Toronto an NBA Cup game?
Yes. The October 30 game in Toronto counts toward the Emirates NBA Cup. The October 28 game against the Raptors is a regular-season game.
