The New Orleans Pelicans will visit the Orlando Magic in a cross-conference battle on Friday's NBA schedule. Both teams are 3-6; Orlando is 2-0 at home, while New Orleans is 1-3 on the road. The Magic have defeated the Pelicans in five straight games. Both teams are 2-7 against the spread in the 2024-25 NBA season.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET at the Kia Center in Orlando, Fla. The latest Magic vs. Pelicans odds have Orlando favored by 6 points, per SportsLine consensus. The over/under is 212.5 points. 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 betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 3 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 101-64 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning more than $3,000. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has 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 Pelicans vs. Magic:
- Magic vs. Pelicans spread: Magic -6
- Magic vs. Pelicans over/under: 212.5 points
- Magic vs. Pelicans money line: Magic: -238, Pelicans: +192
- Magic vs. Pelicans picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Magic vs. Pelicans streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Pelicans can cover
New Orleans is coming off a Wednesday defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 131-122, despite an all-around game from Jose Alvarado, who made all seven of his shots from beyond the arc en route to 27 points, five assists and three steals. Meanwhile, Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 29 points after missing the two previous games. While Williamson (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Friday, he is expected to play after having Thursday off, while Trey Murphy III (hamstring) has a chance to make his season debut tonight, though he's listed as doubtful.
Brandon Ingram leads the Pelicans with 24.1 points, and he's also adding 6.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He's one of seven Pelicans putting up double-figures, and additionally, New Orleans can take solace in the face that it is an NBA-best 15-7-1 against the spread as an away underdog since the start of last season, which is the best record in the league. Meanwhile, Orlando has lost seven straight games against the spread, losing five straight games outright. See which team to pick here.
Why the Magic can cover
Meanwhile, Orlando is coming off a 118-111 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. However, the team showed off its depth as six players scored at least 10 points, led by 28 points from Franz Wagner. As a team, Orlando ranks fifth in the NBA in defensive rating, which should be amplified against a Pelicans team that is second-worst in offensive rating.
While Orlando remains without leading scorer Paolo Banchero (oblique), as well as starting center Wendell Carter Jr. (foot), New Orleans is even more decimated by injury. Dejounte Murray (hand), CJ McCollum (adductor), Herbert Jones (shoulder) and Jordan Hawkins (back) are all out for the Pelicans, and they combine to average over 55 points per game. Also, Orlando is nearly unparalleled when it comes to spread success recently as its 57-41 against-the-spread mark since the start of last season is the second-best in the NBA. See which team to pick here.
How to make Magic vs. Pelicans picks
The model has simulated Pelicans vs. Magic 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 hits almost 70% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Magic vs. Pelicans, and which side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pelicans vs. Magic spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 101-64 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
