THE New Orleans Pelicans land in Orlando for an inter-conference battle of the fifth seeds, in a game with playoff implications for both teams. These teams parallel each other in many ways, starting with the fact that no one expected to see them here. Every team has been completely on a tear lately and they will put each other to the test on Thursday.
THE Magic of Orlandowho are 8-2 in their last ten games, are coming off a fourth straight victory against weaker conference opponents and will use Thursday to see how their young core stacks up against Western Conference playoff competition.
The Pelicans are also 8-2 in their last ten games and are thriving with good health. Zion Williamson at the bar. They comfortably defeated the Brooklyn nets Tuesday behind Zion’s 28 points and a double-double from Larry Nance Jr.
The Pelicans vs Magic betting lines opened at Pelicans -2.5 and the over/under at 211. Let’s take a look at these NBA odds and public NBA betting and see what we can find.
Oh oh it’s magic
The Magic have only made the playoffs twice in the last ten years. On Tuesday, the Magic defeated the Charlotte Frelons 112-92, clinching at least a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Cole Anthony led the Magic with 21 points, while Jalen Suggs had 16 points and six assists. Orlando dominated the first half, outscoring Charlotte 67-32, and never looked back.
**https://x.com/PaoloBMuse/status/1770261642510557354?s=20**
NBA scores today won’t show you that the Magic are the number one defense in the league after the All-Star break. Led by a young duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, as well as defensive stars Wendell Carter Jr. and Jalen Suggs, the Magic are tied for the most wins and ranked in the top five this season. sequence.
The Magic found success thanks to excellent defense and team play. Every night it seems like someone different is stepping up for them. This Thursday match will pit two of the best defenses against each other NBA teams So for now, we expect at least one (if not both) of the Magic’s young stars to hit the points below.
Check out prop bets from Wagner and Banchero for possible value.
Winning with Williamson
Much like the Magic, the Pelicans can attack you from all angles. Each night, a few different Pelicans can give you 30 plays from CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson. But recently, what has differentiated the Pelicans from a feel-good story to a potential threat to a deep world NBA Playoffs running, is Zion Williamson’s play.
Zion is on track to play the most regular season games of his career this season, and that directly leads to more Pelicans wins. Zion finally resumed his rebounding efforts and averaged 29.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the Pelicans’ final five games. Zion has also exceeded the points in each of these last five games.
Zion Williamson scores 28 to power the @PelicansNBA to their 7th victory in the last 8 games, moving 0.5 GB from the Clippers for the 4th seed!
28 points | 11-16 FGM | 7 RECs pic.twitter.com/40Hfb0teLA
-NBA (@NBA) March 20, 2024
Too close to call
Bettors are opening the Pelicans vs Magic betting lines at Magic +2.5 over/under at 211. We believe that while both of these teams are on a hot streak, the Pelicans have faced tougher competition and are likely the slightly better team. They are two of the best teams against the spread this year, the Magic are 44-23 and the Pelicans are 37-28-2.
That being said, the Magic are 22-9 ATS at home this season and the Pelicans are 18-14-2 on the road. Orlando has had a strong advantage over the Pelicans in their past NBA gamesthe Magic being 8-2 in a row and now the Pelicans averaging 109 points per game.
The Magic’s home court advantage and past success could give them a slight edge on Thursday.
Pelicans vs Magic betting will be difficult to predict, but the underside is something to watch. They are two of the three best defensive teams over the last fifteen games and are both 2-8 in plus/minus in their last ten games. The under could be a solid bet if choosing between two surging teams seems too risky.
For NBA Betting Newsodds analysis and more, visit Point spreads Sports magazine.
