New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic Prediction, 12/23/2021 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic

Date: Thursday, December 23, 2021

Location: Amway Center in Orlando, FL

TV: Bally Sports Florida

The New Orleans Pelicans (11-21) are on their way to Amway Center on Thursday where they will take on the Orlando Magic (6-25).

The Pelicans played the Trail Blazers and went home with a win by a final score of 111-97 in their last contest. Concerning fouls, the Pelicans ended up finishing with 19 while the Trail Blazers had 10 fouls. They made 13 of their 34 shots from distance. Portland walked away from this one shooting 73.7% at the free throw line by making 14 of their 19 shots. Additionally, Portland pulled down 24 rebounds (7 offensive, 17 defensive) and got 3 rejections. Portland earned 31 dimes and had 18 steals for the matchup. With regard to defending, New Orleans allowed the other team to shoot 44.9% from the floor on 35 of 78 shooting. They also dished out 27 dimes for the matchup while forcing the other team into 4 turnovers and having 5 steals. With respect to pulling down boards, they earned 44 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. From the free throw line, the Pelicans buried 15 of 18 attempts for a rate of 83.3%. New Orleans ended with a 52.5% FG percentage (42 of 80) and buried 12 of 33 shots from distance.

Brandon Ingram is one player who was a major factor for the matchup. He finished with 28 points on 12 out of 22 shooting. He was on the court for 37 minutes and also pulled down 8 rebounds. Ingram went 54.5% from the field and also dished out 8 dimes.

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New Orleans steps onto the court with a record of 11-21 on the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 15.2 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 19.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, New Orleans is grabbing 46.7 rebounds per game and has racked up 789 assists for the year, which ranks 7th in basketball in terms of passing. The Pelicans are shooting 33.9% on 3-point shots (353 of 1,040) and 79.1% from the charity stripe. They average 104.6 points per game (27th in the NBA) while connecting on 43.7% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Pelicans are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.2 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 21st in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 767 surrendered for the season. The Pelicans are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.9% (1,297 of 2,765) and they surrender 42.6 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They give up 36.6% from 3-point land and they rank 22nd in the league in points per game allowed (109.6).

When they last stepped on the court, the Magic got the victory with a final of 100-93 against the Nets. Regarding rebounds, Orlando permitted Brooklyn to collect 35 in all (16 offensive). They went 19.6% from 3-point land by shooting 9 out of 46 and finished the game at 6 of 8 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Magic permitted the Nets to knock down 39 of 102 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 38.2% in the matchup. In all, the Magic ended up shooting 39 out of 94 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 41.5%. When talking about shots from beyond the arc, Orlando knocked down 10 of their 31 attempts (32.3%). They were able to bury 12 of them for a rate of 92.3%. The Nets committed 15 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Magic to the free throw line for a total of 13 attempts. They also gave up possession 16 times, while getting 6 steals in this matchup. The Magic were able to corral 38 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 50 for the contest.

Chuma Okeke pitched in for the Magic in this matchup. He buried 6 out of 11 for this game giving him a rate of 54.5%, and added 6 rebounds. Okeke totaled 15 points in his 35 mins on the court and had 1 assist in this game.

Orlando has a win-loss record of 6-25 this season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Magic are connecting on 42.3% from the floor, which ranks 28th in basketball. Orlando has accounted for 3,142 points for the campaign (101.4 per contest) and they collect 44.5 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 21.8 times per contest (26th in basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 15.3 times per contest. The Magic have committed 19.0 personal fouls every game and they hit 77.5% from the charity stripe.

The Magic on the defensive end are ranked 27th in basketball in PPG given up with 111.3. They are able to force 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 46.3% from the floor (23rd in basketball). The Orlando defense gives up 36.4% from downtown (421 of 1,157) and opponents are knocking down 74.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 25.7 assists and 46.1 rebounds per contest, ranking them 29th and 23rd in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Orlando

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