Hocus Pocus, the Witch is Back! It's that time of year again, when spirits rise and witches come out to play. And this time, the beloved Sanderson sisters from the cult classic film Hocus Pocus are back! For those who may not be familiar, Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American comedy horror film directed by Kenny Ortega. It tells the story of three witches, the Sanderson sisters, who are resurrected on Halloween night in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts. And this year, fans are in for a treat as a sequel to the film has been announced! Hocus Pocus quickly became a Halloween favorite, capturing the hearts of viewers with its mix of humor, fantasy, and spookiness. The film starred Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the wicked and hilarious Sanderson sisters. The sequel, titled Hocus Pocus 2, will be released on the streaming platform Disney+.

Magic open, end season at home and will have just 40 games at Amway

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic will open the 2023-24 season, their 35th anniversary in the NBA, at home on Oct. 25 against the Houston Rockets and then hit the road for four games on their first West Coast road trip, according to the scheduled released by the league on Thursday.

What You Need To Know

• The NBA released its full 2023-24 season schedule
  
• The Orlando Magic will open the season at home Oct. 25 against the Houston Rockets
  
• The team will play 40 home games at Amway Center
  
• Orlando's schedule includes 15 sets of back-to-back games
  
• Victor Wembanyama, the 2023 No. 1 pick, and the Spurs come to town on Feb. 8

This marks the first time since the 2019-20 season that the Magic have started the season at Amway Center, but the rest of the early season is quite a gauntlet.

The next four games are at Portland on Oct. 27, at Los Angeles for a trick-or-treat back-to-back against the Lakers on Oct. 30 and the Clippers on Oct. 31, with the trip wrapping up in Utah on Nov. 2.

When the Magic return home, they get a day of rest before facing Lebron James and the 2023 Western Conference finalist Lakers again Nov. 4. Next up will be Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on Nov. 6. Then they head to Mexico for what will be considered a home game for Orlando against the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 9. That means the Magic only will play 40 home games at Amway Center this season, while most teams play 41 on their homecourts.

The team will have a day off after the game in Mexico before hosting Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 11.

The Magic also will end the regular season at home, against the Bucks on April 14, one of three home games during that month.

The defending champion Denver Nuggets, including MVP Nikola Jokic and former Orlando forward Aaron Gordon, will come to Orlando on Nov. 22. French sensation Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and the San Antonio Spurs will visit Feb. 8.

Their busiest month will be January, when they play 16 games. They play 14 games each in November and March. Their longest homestand this season will be eight games, from March 17 to April 1. Their longest road trip is five games from Jan. 29 through Feb. 6, and they have multiple four-game road trips, including their second West Coast journey from Dec. 31 through Jan. 5.

The schedule also includes 15 back-to-backs, which means they will play 30 of their 82 games on consecutive days.

The November schedule also includes the Magic's In-Season Tournament games between Nov. 17 and 24.

The Magic will play on TNT against the Thunder on Feb. 13, a game that features the first regular-season matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 picks from the 2022 NBA Draft, Orlando's Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren. The teams were supposed to meet for Orlando's only game on one of the major national cable networks last season, but the TV schedule was changed when Holmgren was injured during an offseason game in 2022 and had to miss last season.

The Magic also have four games on NBA TV during the regular season, with no scheduled games on ESPN or ABC.

Magic 2023-24 regular-season schedule

• Oct. 25 vs. Houston, 7 p.m.
• Oct. 27 at Portland, 10 p.m.
• Oct. 30 at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
• Oct. 31 at Los Angeles Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

• Nov. 2 at Utah, 9 p.m.
• Nov. 4 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
• Nov. 6 vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.
• Nov. 9 vs. Atlanta (in Mexico City), 9:30 p.m. (considered home game)
• Nov. 11 vs. Milwaukee, 6 p.m.
• Nov. 14 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. (In-Season Tournament game)
• Nov. 15 at Chicago, 8 p.m.
• Nov. 17 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (In-Season Tournament game)
• Nov. 19 at Indiana, 5 p.m.
• Nov. 21 vs. Toronto, 7 p.m. (In-Season Tournament game)
• Nov. 22 vs. Denver, 7 p.m.
• Nov. 24 vs. Boston, 2:30 p.m. (In-Season Tournament game)
• Nov. 26 vs. Charlotte, 6 p.m.
• Nov. 29 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.

• Dec. 1 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 2 at Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 4-9 NBA In-Season Tournament (TBD)
• Dec. 11 vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 15 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
• Dec. 17 at Boston, 3 p.m.
• Dec. 20 vs. Miami, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 21 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
• Dec. 23 at Indiana, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 26 at Washington, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 27 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 29 vs. New York, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 31 at Phoenix, 8 p.m.

• Jan. 2 at Golden State, 10 p.m.
• Jan. 3 at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
• Jan. 5 at Denver, 9 p.m.
• Jan. 7 vs. Atlanta, 6 p.m.
• Jan. 9 vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 12 at Miami, 8 p.m.
• Jan. 13 at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
• Jan. 15 at New York, 3 p.m.
• Jan. 17 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
• Jan. 19 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 21 vs. Miami, 6 p.m.
• Jan. 22 vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 26 at Memphis, 8 p.m.
• Jan. 28 vs. Phoenix, 6 p.m.
• Jan. 29 at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
• Jan 31 at San Antonio, 8 p.m.

• Feb. 2 at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
• Feb. 4 at Detroit, 3 p.m.
• Feb. 6 at Miami, 3 p.m.
• Feb. 8 vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 10 vs. Chicago, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 13 vs. Oklahoma City 7:30 p.m.
• Feb. 14 vs. New York, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 22 at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 24 at Detroit, 8 p.m.
• Feb. 25 at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 27 vs. Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 29 vs. Utah, 7 p.m.

• March 3 vs. Detroit, 6 p.m.
• March 5 at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
• March 6 at Washington, 7 p.m.
• March 8 at New York, 7:30 p.m.
• March 10 vs. Indiana, 6 p.m.
• March 13 vs. Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
• March 15 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
• March 17 vs. Toronto, 6 p.m.
• March 19 vs. Charlotte, 7 p.m.
• March 21 vs. New Orleans, 7 p.m.
• March 23 vs. Sacramento, 7 p.m.
• March 27 vs. Golden State, 7 p.m.
• March 29 vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 7 p.m.
• March 30 vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.

• April 1 vs. Portland, 7 p.m.
• April 3 at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
• April 5 at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
• April 7 vs. Chicago, 6 p.m.
• April 9 at Houston, 8 p.m.
• April 10 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
• April 12 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• April 14 vs. Milwaukee, 1 p.m.

MAGIC Odds: Schedule, Matchups, & Stats

Playing in the Southeast Division of the NBA’s Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic are one of two Florida-based teams in the league. A natural rivalry with the Miami Heat has developed over the years playing in the same division.

Orlando Magic Team Overview

The Magic came into the NBA as an expansion franchise ahead of the 1989/1990 season. They first qualified for the postseason five seasons later behind the play of a young Shaquille O’Neal.

The NBA great only played in Orlando for four seasons before coming into his own with the Los Angeles Lakers. Shaq led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995, but his team came up well short against the Houston Rockets in a four-game sweep. He signed with LA as a free agent after that season.

Orlando’s other greats included Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard. While the team routinely qualified for the postseason, its season usually came to an end with an early exit from the playoffs.

Howard was able to lead the Magic back to the championship series in 2009, but they were no match for Shaq and the Lakers in a 4-1 series loss. Since that loss, Orlando has failed to make the playoffs in seven of the previous 12 seasons.

Bettors looking to put money on an Orlando game tend to go against the Magic at home. Keep an eye on their performance ATS or against the spread.

For example, a spread bet on the Magic might look like this:

Magic +2.5 -125
Heat -2.5 -105

In this example, for a spread bet on the Magic to pay out, Orlando would have to win the game, or not lose by more than 2.5 points. Should the Heat win, but only by 2 points, your bet on the Magic to "cover the spread" would pay out in your favor.

Betting on the Orlando Magic in Florida

If you want to bet on an Orlando game, you will have to go through a US-based sportsbook in a state that offers legal sports betting.

The Seminole Tribe briefly offered sports betting in Florida last fall through a mobile betting app. However legal issues concerning the tribe’s gaming compact with the state have shut things down for now. Online sports betting in Florida remains illegal.

The sequel, titled Hocus Pocus 2, will be released on the streaming platform Disney+. Fans have been waiting eagerly for this announcement, and now they can prepare for another adventure with the Sanderson sisters and their mischievous antics. While not much has been revealed about the plot of the sequel, it is expected to follow a new generation of kids encountering the resurrected witches.

NFL Betting Resources

• NFL Odds & Lines
• NFL Futures
• NFL MVP Odds
• NFL Rookie of the Year
• NFL Coach of the Year
• MNF Odds
• TNF Odds
• NFL Player Props
• NFL Parlays and Picks

With the original cast not confirmed to return, there is much speculation about who will be taking on the iconic roles. Nevertheless, fans are buzzing with excitement at the prospect of a new Hocus Pocus adventure. Hocus Pocus has become a beloved Halloween tradition and a nostalgic favorite for many. Its witty dialogues, charming cast, and memorable moments have made it a timeless classic. The news of a sequel has sparked a wave of anticipation and joy among fans, who are eager to see what tricks and treats the Sanderson sisters have up their sleeves this time around. As Halloween approaches, it's time to dust off those broomsticks and get ready for Hocus Pocus 2. The veil between the living and the dead is thinning, and the wickedly delightful Sanderson sisters are set to cast their spell once again. So gather your friends, get your costumes ready, and prepare for a bewitchingly marvelous time with Hocus Pocus, the Witch is Back!.

Reviews for "Witchcraft and Whimsy: Hocus Pocus Sequel Brings Back the Magic"

1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Hocus Pocus the Witch is Back". The plot was confusing and there were too many unnecessary subplots going on. The characters felt flat and underdeveloped. I was hoping for a fun and entertaining movie, but it just fell flat for me. The jokes didn't land and the whole movie felt forced. Overall, it was a letdown and not worth the hype.

2. Sarah - 1 star - This movie was a total waste of time. The acting was terrible and the dialogue was cringeworthy. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and the storyline was all over the place. It felt like the filmmakers were just trying to cash in on the success of the original "Hocus Pocus" without putting any effort into creating a quality film. Save yourself the disappointment and skip this one.

3. Emily - 2 stars - As a fan of the original "Hocus Pocus", I was excited for the sequel, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The new characters were not as engaging and the magic that made the original so beloved was missing. The plot felt rushed and the humor fell flat. It seemed like the filmmakers were trying too hard to recreate the magic of the first movie without bringing anything new to the table. I was left feeling underwhelmed and wishing I had just rewatched the original instead.

4. Mike - 1 star - "Hocus Pocus the Witch is Back" was a complete disaster. The story was all over the place and had no clear direction. The acting was subpar and I found myself cringing at the dialogue. The jokes were forced and fell flat, making the movie unbearable to sit through. Overall, it was a major disappointment and a waste of time. I would not recommend this movie to anyone.

The Sanderson Sisters are Back: Hocus Pocus Sequel Takes Flight