Raptors to play regular-season game against Magic in London

The Toronto Raptors are going back to England.

The Raptors will face the Orlando Magic in an NBA regular-season game Jan. 14 at the O2 Arena in London, the league announced Wednesday. The contest will be considered a home game for the Magic, reducing their home schedule at the Amway Center to 40 games.

The Raptors were part of the NBA's first regular-season foray to London when they played two games against the then-New Jersey Nets at the same facility on the banks of the River Thames in 2011.

It's another chapter in the NBA Global Games series, which commissioner Adam Silver is committed to continuing. "This underscores our commitment to growing basketball in the region and to bringing more regular-season basketball to our fans in the U.K.," Silver said in a release.

Magic officials asked the league to be part of the London contest, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, citing a good business opportunity. The Magic will be globetrotters of sorts this season, as they also play an exhibition game against Brazilian club Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 17.

The Magic played two preseason games in London against the Atlanta Hawks way back in 1993 - when their squad featured Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway.