The Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic will lock horns at The O2 on Thursday evening but they are very much united in their thoughts of playing a regular-season game in London.

Both Eastern Conference franchises will turn their attention to the sixth ever regular-season NBA game to be played in London when they make the transatlantic flight over to England at the start of next week.

And both sets of players appear to be relishing the prospect of playing a competitive match away from the comforts of North America and are keen on visiting the main tourists attractions.

Nikola Vucevic (right) is looking forward to playing at The O2 Arena ahead of next week's game in London

Vucevic shoots for the basket during the Orlando Magic's final match ahead of their trip to England

The Magic will swap the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida for London's O2 Arena for one game only

Magic's Nikola Vucevic, who will be one to watch against Toronto having averaged 16.9 points this season, has earmarked Chelsea’s Premier League clash with West Brom in west London on Wednesday as a potential pit stop.

Speaking to Sportsmail in Orlando, Vucevic said of his side’s upcoming trip to Europe: ‘There’s a lot of NBA fans all over the world, who may never get a chance to come over to the United States and watch a game live.

'They may find it hard to watch it on TV because of the time difference, so I think it is really great to see the NBA games live. It is also a good experience for us as players.

‘The biggest issues will be the time difference but we will be there three or four days before, so we will probably get used to it before the game. It will be exciting anyway to play in a different country and meet new fans, so you don’t really think about those things.

'I think they will have everything I need over there, it’s not like I’m going to the moon. London is a great city, so they will have everything we need.

‘I’d like to go see a football game, Chelsea are playing on the Wednesday we get there. I can’t do it on this trip but I’d love to go to Wimbledon one day.’

Orlando defeated Toronto 92-87 at the Amway Center in November but the Raptors are currently flying high in the Eastern Conference with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in fine form.

DeRozan scored a season high 35 points against the Washington Wizards on Friday and Vucevic is wary of the threat posed by his side’s Global Game opponents.

Vucevic is wary of the threat posed by Raptors duo Kyle Lowry (second right) and DeMar DeRozan (far right)

He added: ‘The Raptors are a good team. They went to the playoffs last year, so having that experience helps a lot. They have good players over there, DeRozan, Lowry, [Jonas] Valanciunas, [Luis] Scola. It will be a fun game in London and they will be fighting for a playoff spot.’

Vucevic is a key cog in Orlando Magic’s young side as they look to push for an Eastern Conference playoff spot after claiming 20 victories from 38 games.

The 25-year-old Montenegrin’s team-mate — Frenchman Evan Fournier — is counting down the days as he prepares to return to his home continent as the match gives his family the chance to make the short trip from Paris.

Fournier, 23, said of the prospect of a Global Game taking place in Paris: ‘The O2 in London is just amazing. We don’t have that kind of arena in Paris unfortunately.

‘It is only like one-hour-and-half away so my family is going to be there, I’m very excited.’

Frenchman Evan Fournier (centre) is looking forward to returning to Europe and play in front of his family

Several players from both rosters will be stepping foot in England for the first time when they fly over next week.

Magic point guard Elfrid Payton has said he is going to ‘wing it’ when he travels around London, while Bismack Biyombo of the Raptors appears to have a more thorough plan.

‘I have always wanted to go to London, it’s just trying to find the time,’ explained Biyombo. ‘I look forward to visiting the soccer teams out there and obviously enjoy the city as I have heard a lot of good things about it.

‘I’m a curious guy, I love to be scouting new things and meet new people. I’m going to have some fun and try to see if I can talk in a British accent.

'I have travelled around the world and I am always excited about new places, seeing new people and learning about the culture of different people.

Bismack Biyombo of the Toronto Raptors is hoping to spread the word of basketball when he comes over

‘It is a very good idea for the growth of the game. Going from the US to Europe to Africa to China and all over the world has been amazing. I think the NBA have got to continue to do that because I think a lot of kids dream about the NBA.

‘They dream about seeing NBA players, shaking hands, talking to them and having a conversation with them. It’s a motivation for those kids and probably changes the way they think and see things, I am always trying to make those kids feel as good as possible.

'It's great for a lot of kids out there to get excited about the NBA as they want to be part of this team one day.’

DeMarre Carroll looks set to miss out on a trip to London for a second occasion after having surgery on his troublesome knee. The small forward was due to play for the Atlanta Hawks against the Brooklyn Nets in 2014 but had to pull out due to the birth of his daughter.

If Carroll does make the trip - even if it’s just to cheer on his team-mates - then he will be adding to his collection of clothing, jewellery and footwear.

Shooting guard DeRozan (left) and point guard Lowry (right) are among the deadliest duos in the NBA

‘My team-mates get excited for London because of the shopping, sightseeing and the good food. I think to experience the atmosphere and London as a whole is just great. I’m looking forward to shopping.’

James Bond fan Lowry cannot wait to experience a new culture, while DeRozan has promised to put on an entertaining show at The O2.

‘It will be good to play in front of new fans at the great O2 Arena and have my family over there to enjoy the culture,’ insists Lowry.

His team-mate DeRozan, who played back-to-back games in London with the Raptors in 2011, concluded: ‘It was definitely a great experience. The culture in basketball is definitely at a high level over there.

‘We are a hell of a team, we will bring a lot of excitement.’

KEY STATISTICS AROUND LONDON GLOBAL GAME 1 – Less than 1 hour, the quickest recorded sell-out for a game in London. NBA Global Games 2016 again sold in less than 1 hour 4 – The combined number of games the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors have played in London 6 – This will be the sixth regular-season NBA game to be played in London in as many years 10 – NBA Global Games 2016 London will be the 10th NBA game staged at The O2 15 – The number of NBA sides who have played in London 89 – Orlando Magic v Toronto Raptors will be the 89th game between two NBA teams to be played outside the US and Canada 208.6 – The average number of points per NBA game in London 1993 – The Orlando Magic played the first ever preseason game between NBA teams in Europe at Wembley Arena, London, in 1993 against the Atlanta Hawks 2011 – The Toronto Raptors played the first ever regular season NBA game in Europe at The O2 in 2011 against the New Jersey Nets 2712 – 2712 points in total have been scored in the NBA games in London Advertisement