The Orlando Magic already know where their first NBA Cup tests will come this fall, and the path starts north of the border.
On Oct. 30, Orlando opens group play at the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m.
The schedule then brings the Magic home two weeks later, when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. From there, Orlando heads to the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. before finishing group play at the Kia Center against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 24 at 7 p.m.
This will be the fourth year of the in-season tournament, which has already seen the Lakers win the first edition in 2023, the Bucks take it in 2024 and the NBA champion Knicks claim last year’s title. Orlando made its deepest run yet a season ago, reaching the semifinals before falling to the Knicks.
The NBA Cup format again includes group play followed by knockout rounds, with the championship set for Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 4-5, and the semifinals for Dec. 8 and/or 9.
All 30 teams were placed into five-team groups by conference, with the draw based on last season’s win-loss records. Orlando’s group keeps most of the Eastern Conference’s top projected threats elsewhere, though the Pistons stand out as the most interesting opponent in the mix.
That matchup has some recent history behind it. Detroit led Orlando 3-1 in their first-round playoff series before the Pistons won in seven games, ending the Magic’s 2025-26 season.
It also effectively closed the door on Jamahl Mosley’s run as head coach, with Orlando firing him days later after a third straight first-round exit. The Magic then turned to Sean Sweeney as their new head coach.
Sweeney also has reason to like the draw. The Magic avoided Group B, which includes New York, Philadelphia with newly acquired LeBron James, Cleveland, Indiana and Miami, with newly acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo. Group C features Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington.
Six group winners and one wild-card team from each conference will move on to the single-elimination rounds, where teams will chase both the trophy and a prize pool. Every game in the tournament except the championship counts toward the regular-season standings.
The Magic are scheduled to open training camp on Sept. 29 at the AdventHealth Training Center.
The league said choosing Hinkle Fieldhouse for the final “reflects the NBA’s multiyear vision to bring the championship to distinctive stages that honor the sport’s history while connecting with audiences around the world.”
It’s also the building featured in the final scenes of “Hoosiers,” the film about Milan High School’s run to the Indiana state title in a game played there in 1954.
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The broadcast overhaul comes with a new on-air cast as well, with Dante Marchitelli taking over as full-time play-by-play voice, Jeff Turner staying on as analyst and Kendra Douglas joining as team reporter. Orlando is also working on a direct-to-consumer streaming deal, which could give fans another way to follow the club, though the exact details of that package are still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]