Magic view national TV appearance as opportunity to showcase talent

There’s no fooling the Magic.

Tuesday’s matchup between Orlando and the visiting Thunder will mark a significant night for the franchise at Kia Center (TNT, 7:30) no matter how you look at it.

For starters, it’s the Magic’s first game on prime national television since the 2020 playoffs inside the NBA bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For even more perspective, the Magic’s last home regular-season game broadcast on TNT took place April 5, 2012, against the Knicks.

Shortly after the Oklahoma City game, Orlando (29-24) officially will retire jersey No. 32 in honor of Shaquille O’Neal, who will become the first player in franchise history to have his number retired.

O’Neal will call the game for TNT with former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, former teammate Dennis Scott and play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Harlan.

TNT’s pre- and post-game studio show will feature former Magic player Vince Carter, WNBA star Candace Parker (who’s the brother of Magic general manager Anthony Parker), host Adam Lefkoe and former NBA star Jamal Crawford, a mentor of Paolo Banchero from his hometown Seattle.

Fans are asked to stay in their seats for the jersey retirement ceremony that will start approximately 15 minutes following the conclusion of the game. There will be free t-shirts on all of the seats for fans.

The Magic view the evening as a chance to showcase what they’ve accomplished on the court this season and how far the franchise has come since undergoing another rebuild.

“You can sit here and say it’s the same game, but it’s not,” veteran guard Gary Harris said after practice Monday. “There’s a lot more energy in the building. It’s something we haven’t had much of. Not many people have had a chance to see the special things we’ve been doing in our organization with the team this year.

“It’s just an opportunity for us to go out there and show the world how good of a team we’ve been this year but not let it change how we’ve been approaching the game.”

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Having spent the first six years of his career with the Nuggets, Harris is one of the few members of the Magic who have played on national television in the NBA.

Guard Markelle Fultz and forward Jonathan Isaac are the only remaining players from the Magic’s last postseason appearance in the summer of 2020. The Magic haven’t played a non-NBA-TV nationally televised game on ESPN, ABC or TNT the last three seasons.

“It’s just a testament to see where the team’s been going,” Harris said. “We’ve been improving a lot the past few years. We’re getting a lot of attention this year but this is something that started from a few years back.

“Just continue to trust the process, to work hard, continue to play for each other and hopefully we go out there and get a win on national TV.”

Earning a win against the Thunder (36-17) will be no easy task regardless of the festivities surrounding the matchup. A month ago, Orlando fell by 12 points at Oklahoma City in large part due to a 37-point performance from MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The sides were scheduled to play on TNT in November 2022 but the game was bumped off the national TV slate after No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren was ruled out for the season due to a Lisfranc injury to his right foot during the summer.

This year, Holmgren has bounced back from injury during what is considered his rookie NBA season. He’s averaging a team-high 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks to go with 16.8 points and 2.7 assists.

Although Holmgren won the first matchup between him and Banchero (the top two picks in the 2022 draft), the Magic were without starters Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Markelle Fultz when the teams met last month.

All three have since returned to help boost Orlando to five wins in its last six games.

While the Magic made no moves ahead of last week’s NBA trade deadline, the Thunder acquired Gordon Hayward from the Hornets in exchange for three reserves and a pair of future second-round picks.

Hayward (left calf strain) won’t be available for the Thunder against the Magic. Neither will veteran Bismack Biyombo, who signed with Oklahoma City for the remainder of the season Sunday after he was waived by the Grizzlies.

Orlando continues to feature a clean bill of health entering what should make for an electric evening at Kia Center, the first night of a back-to-back for the Magic.

On Wednesday, Orlando will host the Knicks (Bally Sports Florida, 7) ahead of the NBA All-Star break.

“It is a bigger game,” Mosley said. “You’re going to be on national TV. It is the retirement of Shaq’s jersey. Those are all things that are in real time. You address them so they can process it the right way.

“We still have to focus on the game. That’s most important piece right now.”

Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.