A pair of Southeast Division rivals with lofty expectations will meet for the first time on Friday, as the Orlando Magic play host to the visiting Atlanta Hawks.

Both consensus picks to make the postseason out of the Eastern Conference, Orlando and Atlanta last met in the 7 vs. 8 play-in tournament game in April, a 120-95 Magic victory. With each team returning its core nucleus while adding key newcomers, neither side wants to return to the play-in.

Orlando began its season with a 125-121 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday, debuting its revamped offense spearheaded in part by offseason trade acquisition Desmond Bane.

The former high-scoring Memphis Grizzlies guard was shipped to the Magic in June and began his Orlando career with a 23-point output.

"It felt good, I'm not going to

See Full Page