The Orlando Magic are on the road to take on the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night. Check out our NBA odds series as we hand out a Magic-Pelicans prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Magic are 44-31 this season, and they have won their last two games. The Magic have also beaten the Pelicans once already this season. In that game, Orlando put up 121 points. In the game, Paolo Banchero notched a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Jalen Suggs led the team in scoring with 22 points, though. As a team, the Magic were able to shoot 54.7 percent from the field in the win. The Magic do not have any significant injuries heading into Wednesday's matchup with the Pelicans.
The Pelicans are 45-30 this season, and they sit one game ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. As the season winds down, the Pelicans do not want to find themselves in the play-in games. In the loss against the Magic earlier this season, the Pelicans scored just 106 points. Trey Murphy III had 21 points off the bench to lead the team while Brandon Ingram dropped 20. New Orleans did shoot over 50 percent from the field in the loss, though. Ingram will most likely miss this game with his knee injury.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Magic-Pelicans Odds
Orlando Magic: +4.5 (-112)
Moneyline: +158
New Orleans Pelicans: -4.5 (-108)
Moneyline: -188
Over: 208 (-110)
Under: 208 (-110)
How to Watch Magic vs. Pelicans
Time: 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports New Orleans
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Magic held the Pelicans to 106 points in their first matchup. That is not a surprise as the Magic are one of the better teams on the defensive end of the court this season. Orlando allows just 108.2 points per game, which is the third-lowest in the NBA. When the Magic allow less than 110 points this season, they are 33-9. If Orlando can keep the Pelicans to under 110 in this one, they will win this game.
The reason the Magic were able to keep the Pelicans to 106 points in their first matchup is that they controlled the pace of play. The Pelicans attempted less than 80 shots against the Magic in the game. Yes, the Magic allowed a pretty high shooting percentage in the game, but the Pelicans not shooting a lot of shots makes it very hard to win. If the Magic can control the tempo in this game as well, they are going to cover the spread.
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Pelicans should be able to match the Magic on defense. New Orleans allows 110.5 points per game this season, which is the eighth-lowest in the NBA. The Pelicans allowing 121 points in the first game against the Magic is not something that happens often. Do not expect it to happen again. The Pelicans should be able to keep the Magic to a lower score in this game, which will help them cover this spread.
The Magic, on the other hand, score just 110.4 points per game, which is the fifth-lowest in the NBA. When the Pelicans allow less than 110 points this season, they are 33-6. If the Pelicans can keep the Magic to under that number in this game, they will be able to cover the spread.
Final Magic-Pelicans Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a good matchup, and I am expecting a lower-scoring game. As for a winner, I am going to take the Pelicans to cover the spread.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Magic-Pelicans Prediction & Pick: New Orleans Pelicans -4.5 (-108)
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