Teams looking to get back on track will meet up to get the Friday NBA schedule underway when the New Orleans Pelicans (26-19) visit the Orlando Magic (16-28). Both have lost three of their last four. Orlando is coming off a 119-116 loss to the Nuggets where it stayed within the 11-point spread. New Orleans, meanwhile, was blown out 124-98 against the Heat on Wednesday. Brandon Ingram (toe) and Zion Williamson (hamstring) are both out for New Orleans. Franz Wagner (ankle) is questionable for Orlando.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET from the Amway Center. New Orleans is favored by 2 points in the latest Magic vs. Pelicans odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while 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 has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 14 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 45-20 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,200. Anyone following 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: Pelicans -2
- Magic vs. Pelicans over/under: 228.5 points
- Magic vs. Pelicans money line: Orlando +110, New Orleans -130
- Magic vs. Pelicans picks: See picks here
Why the Magic can cover
Orlando should not be dealing with any fatigue on Friday night, as it has not played since losing to Denver by three points on Sunday, easily covering the 11-point spread in that contest. The Magic are also playing at home for the first time in more than two weeks, so their fan base will be motivated for this outing. They are facing a New Orleans team that is coming off one of its worst performances of the season, getting blown out by Miami in a 124-98 final on Wednesday night.
The Pelicans have been playing without injured starters Williamson, Ingram and Herbert Jones. Jones (back) is questionable for this one. Williamson is the team's leading scorer with 26.0 points per game, while Ingram is the third-leading scorer with 20.8 points. New Orleans has only covered the spread twice in its last seven games, and it has only covered three times in its last 11 road games.
Why the Pelicans can cover
Outside of its loss to Miami on Wednesday, the Pelicans have been playing competitive games even without two of their best players. They picked up road wins against Washington and Detroit last week, along with staying within reach against Boston and Cleveland. This will be a less formidable opponent, so they will be motivated to take advantage of the opportunity.
They still have second-leading scorer CJ McCollum, who is averaging 21.3 points and 5.8 assists per game. Big man Jonas Valanciunas is adding 14.8 points and 9.8 rebounds, while Trey Murphy III is chipping in 12.5 points. Orlando has lost seven of its last 10 games, so the Magic have not proven that they are worthy of being backed in a game with a small spread like this one.
How to make Pelicans vs. Magic picks
The model has simulated Magic vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Pelicans vs. Magic? And which side of the spread hits over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Magic vs. Pelicans spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
