The New Orleans Pelicans will host the Orlando Magic for a cross-conference clash in the NBA on Thursday night. New Orleans is 18-48 on the season and has the second-worst record in the Western Conference, while Orlando is 30-36 overall and is currently the eighth seed in the East. The Magic have won and covered the spread in eight of their last 10 head-to-head meetings with the Pelicans, including a 115-88 win as 8.5-point home favorites in their only previous matchup of the season on Nov. 8.
Tipoff is at at 8 p.m. ET at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Orlando is favored by 2.5 points in the latest Pelicans vs. Magic odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 217 points. Before entering any Magic vs. Pelicans picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 21 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 148-107 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 19-10 (65%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on New Orleans vs. Orlando. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Magic vs. Pelicans:
- Pelicans vs. Magic spread: New Orleans +2.5
- Pelicans vs. Magic over/under: 217 points
- Pelicans vs. Magic money line: New Orleans +122, Orlando -145
- Pelicans vs. Magic picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Pelicans vs. Magic streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Pelicans can cover
New Orleans ended a four-game losing streak with a 127-120 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. Zion Williamson posted a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the victory. Williamson has played in 17 of the team’s last 21 games after missing 35 of the first 45 games on the schedule.
The Pelicans have now covered the spread in five of their last six games at home and have won four of those games outright with two of those victories coming as underdogs. New Orleans had seven players reach double-figures in scoring during its win over Los Angeles. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Why the Magic can cover
Meanwhile, Orlando is coming off a 97-84 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday. Paolo Banchero led the team with 25 points in the game, but the team shot an abysmal 32.6% from the floor overall. The team is now 1-6 against the spread over its last seven games.
However, the Magic have covered the spread six times in a row against the Pelicans, and they’ve covered seven in a row in New Orleans. Banchero is now averaging 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and he could be in for a big night against a shorthanded New Orleans frontcourt. See which team to back at SportsLine.
How to make Pelicans vs. Magic picks
The model has simulated Orlando vs. New Orleans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, projecting 215 combined points. It’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Magic vs. Pelicans on Thursday, and which side of the spread hits in nearly 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pelicans vs. Magic spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
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