One of the hottest teams since the All-Star break will meet one of the big surprises of the NBA season when the New Orleans Pelicans (42-26) face off against the Orlando Magic (41-28). The Pelicans have won three in a row and are just a game back of the Clippers in the West for the No. 4 seed, while the Magic have won four in a row and are a half-game back of New York in the East for the No. 4 seed. Orlando is just three games back of the Bucks for the No. 2 seed in the East.
Both teams are clean on the injury front, aside from the Pelicans still being without Dyson Daniels due to a long-term knee injury.
The Pelicans are 3-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total sitting at 207.5. New Orleans is -148 on the moneyline while Orlando is +124.
Pelicans vs. Magic, 7 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Magic +3
These are two of the best teams in the league against the spread. The Pelicans are 39-28-1 ATS on the season and have covered the spread in eight of their last 10 games. New Orleans is 24-19 ATS as a favorite. Orlando, on the flip side, is the best team in the league against the number at 46-23 ATS. The Magic have thrived as this year’s surprise team, going 22-17 ATS as an underdog and 7-5 ATS as a home underdog.
Both teams have been playing well but it’s hard to go against what the Magic have done this season, especially when Orlando is at home. I’ll take the underdogs to cover.
Over/Under: Under 207.5
New Orleans and Orlando both trend towards the under on the season. The Pelicans are 29-38-1 to the over while the Magic are 31-37-1 to the over. Since the All-Star break, the Pelicans have gone under their totals in all but three games. The Magic have only gone over their totals in four games since the break. Even though this is a low number, I’ll take the under with these two teams Thursday evening.