Orlando Magic vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 20/03/2024, 15:23  by Joseph King | Modified on 20/03/2024 at 15:55 in NBA Predictions

The East and Western Conference’s fifth-placed teams collide on Thursday with both the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans looking to extend their hot streaks. The Magic picked up a routine blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, taking care of business once again at the Kia Center. The 112-92 victory was Orlando’s fourth in a row (third at home), moving them up to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with their 41-28 record. The Magic are looking well-poised to secure an automatic playoff spot with a top six finish. They currently hold a three game lead over the seventh-placed Pacers with 13 games left to play in the regular season. They’ll face a much tougher task here, however, as the Pelicans come to central Florida in similarly fine form themselves. Orlando’s surprise success this year has been built off of their dominant home performances (24-9 at the Kia Center), as well as a lock-down defense which ranks third in average points allowed per game (108.8).

As for the Pelicans, they’re tied with the Magic and three other teams for the best current 10-game stretch in the league with eight wins and two defeats. New Orleans are coming off a dominant 114-91 away win over the struggling Brooklyn Nets to bring their record to 42-26 on the year. They’ve built up a 2.5 game lead over the Kings in sixth and the Mavs in seventh as they battle for automatic entry into the postseason. The Pels have shown excellent progression over the last few seasons and look to be serious contenders this year. Zion Williamson in particular has been excellent in 2023/24, especially in the last five games where he has averaged 29.6 points on an incredible 66.2% shooting. New Orleans ranks very highly in the advanced metrics, coming in fourth in adjusted net rating (+5.2) and fifth in adjusted defensive rating (111.9).