Magic To Host Rockets in Season Opener

The long-awaited NBA 2023-24 season began Tuesday night with two games, and multiple teams will open their seasons Wednesday night.

season 35 loading… pic.twitter.com/x9xwQPjbNy

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) October 25, 2023

The Orlando Magic will host the Rockets Wednesday night in both teams’ season openers. Last year, both teams had underwhelming seasons as Orlando and Houston both finished close to dead last in each of their respective conferences and missed the postseason by a landslide.

The Magic finished the 2022-23 season with a record of 34-48 overall and 20-21 at home. The Rockets finished 12 games behind the Magic with an overall record of 22-60 and 8-33 on the road.

The journey begins tonight. #Liftoff 🚀 pic.twitter.com/WVxWomIjVk

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) October 25, 2023

Last Season’s Meetings

The Magic and Rockets met twice last season with each team taking home a win.

In their first meeting on Nov. 7, 2022, in Orlando, Houston came out with a 134-127 victory. Jalen Green put up 34 points, and K.J. Martin added 21 points off the bench in the Rockets’ win.

In their second meeting on Dec. 21, 2022, Orlando secured a 116-110 win in Houston. Orlando’s Franz Wagner scored 25 points, and Paolo Banchero had a 24-point and 13-rebound game as the Magic overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half.

Offseason Rebuild

Like many struggling young teams, coaches claim they are constantly rebuilding. However, it takes a long time for a rebuild to manifest itself in the regular season.

From the 2021-22 season to the 2022-23 season, the Magic improved by 12 games, which was the largest improvement in the Eastern Conference. The Magic didn’t make any major moves in the offseason, as they had previously drafted Banchero and Wagner.

Orlando’s focus is on improving and developing their rising stars like Banchero and Wagner. Banchero was named Rookie of the Year last season, and he’s expected to only get better.

Preseason

Both the Rockets and Magic recorded winning records this preseason. The Rockets went 4-1 while the Magic recorded a 3-1 record in preseason play.

However, both teams had winning records last preseason and finished the regular season well below .500.

Game Time

In the first of two meetings this season, Houston and Orlando will play at the Amway Center.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.