The Orlando Magic will take on the New Orleans Pelicans at 9 p.m. ET Thursday at Visa Athletic Center in Orlando. The Magic have clinched a playoff berth and will meet Milwaukee in a first-round Eastern Conference postseason matchup beginning on Monday. The Pelicans have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Orlando is 1-4 against the spread in its last five games. The Pelicans are 1-4 in their last five meetings with the Magic. Orlando is favored by four points in the latest Magic vs. Pelicans odds from William Hill, and the over-under is set at 228.5. Before entering any Pelicans vs. Magic 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 it's already returned well over $4,700 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks this season. It entered the week on a blistering 58-32 run on top-rated NBA spread picks, returning almost $2,300 on those picks alone. Amazingly, it hasn't missed a single top-rated pick (5-0) since the NBA's restart in July. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Magic vs. Pelicans. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Pelicans vs. Magic:
- Magic vs. Pelicans spread: Magic -4
- Magic vs. Pelicans over-under: 228.5 points
- Magic vs. Pelicans money line: Orlando -165, New Orleans 145
What you need to know about the Magic
The Magic lost to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, 108-96. Wesley Iwundu (18 points) and Markelle Fultz (18 points) were the top scorers for Orlando. Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Magic are the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Evan Fournier (illness), Terrence Ross (quarantine) and Michael Carter-Williams (foot) did not play on Tuesday and will be out on Thursday. Orlando has lost five consecutive games after winning its first two when play resumed.
What you need to know about the Pelicans
In a sloppy game that saw the teams combine for 39 turnovers, the Sacramento Kings took down New Orleans 112-106 on Tuesday. One thing holding New Orleans back was the mediocre play of Nicolo Melli, who logged 25 minutes but put up just five points on 1-for-10 shooting. Jahlil Okafor scored 21 points.
Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Jrue Holiday, Derrick Favors and JJ Redick all sat out on Tuesday. Williamson (knee), Ingram (knee) and Holiday (elbow) will be out on Thursday. Josh Hart (knee) is questionable. The Pelicans have lost five of seven games in the NBA bubble.
How to make Magic vs. Pelicans picks
The model has simulated Magic vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning under. It's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Pelicans vs. Magic? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Magic vs. Pelicans spread you need to jump on Thursday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
