Orlando Magic vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 4/3/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Orlando Magic vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Bally Sports New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans (45-29) will play the Orlando Magic (43-31) at Smoothie King Center on Wednesday.

The Magic faced off with the Grizzlies and earned the victory with a final of 118-88 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Magic ended up with 16 while the Grizzlies totaled 19 personal fouls. They also converted 12 out of their 36 shots from 3-point range. Memphis finished the game shooting 82.4% at the charity stripe by knocking down 14 of 17 shots. On top of that, Memphis collected 45 boards (13 offensive, 32 defensive) and had 8 blocks. Memphis recorded 25 assists and had 11 steals in this matchup. Concerning defense, Orlando allowed 36.0% from the field on 31 out of 86 shooting. They also distributed 28 dimes for this game while forcing the opposition into 19 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to hauling in boards, they collected 43 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Magic converted 20 of 23 attempts for a rate of 87.0%. Orlando walked away from the contest with a 48.7% FG percentage (38 of 78) and made 22 of their 44 shots from beyond the arc.

Cole Anthony is a player who was a major factor for the game. He walked away with 15 points on 5 of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 17 mins and totaled 3 rebounds. Anthony finished the contest at 45.5% from the floor and also distributed 3 dimes.

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Orlando enters this contest with a win-loss mark of 43-31 this year. They turn it over 14.9 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 19.9 fouls every game. As a unit, Orlando is collecting 42.5 boards per game and has tallied 1,828 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 26th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. The Magic are hitting 35.5% on shots from distance (822 of 2,316) and 75.2% from the charity stripe. They average 110.5 points per outing (26th in the league) while hitting 47.7% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Magic are able to force 15.0 turnovers every game and they draw 20.9 personal fouls. They currently rank 1st in the league in allowing assists with 1,766 relinquished for the campaign. The Magic defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 47.2% (2,947 of 6,238) and they concede 40.0 boards per contest as a basketball team. They give up 35.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 3rd in basketball in points per game allowed (108.3).

In their last game, the Pelicans took a loss by a score of 104-92 when they faced the Celtics. The Pelicans collected 31 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 41 in the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while earning 9 steals in the matchup. The Celtics committed 13 fouls for this game which got the Pelicans to the charity stripe for a total of 18 shots. They were able to knock down 11 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 61.1%. With respect to 3-pointers, New Orleans converted 13 out of their 35 attempts (37.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Pelicans walked away from this one shooting 34 out of 86 from the field which gave them a percentage of 39.5%. The Pelicans permitted the Celtics to convert 39 out of their 82 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.6% in the game. They finished 40.5% from distance by shooting 15 out of 37 and finished the game at 11 of 12 at the free throw line (91.7%). Regarding rebounding, New Orleans permitted Boston to grab 51 in total (8 offensive).

Zion Williamson pitched in for the Pelicans in the matchup. He knocked down 9 of 17 for the game for a rate of 52.9%, and earned 9 rebounds. Williamson recorded 25 points in his 40 minutes on the court and tallied 4 dimes in the matchup.

New Orleans has a record of 45-29 for the season. The Pelicans commit 18.6 personal fouls every game and they shoot 76.6% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 27.0 times per contest (12th in the league) and they are turning it over 13.0 times per contest. New Orleans has accounted for 8,528 points so far this year (115.2 per game) and they collect 44.4 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Pelicans are connecting on 48.7% from the floor, which has them ranked 8th in the league.

The New Orleans defense surrenders 34.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (994 of 2,873) and their opposition makes 78.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 26.5 dimes and 42.4 total boards per game, which ranks them 13th and 9th in the NBA. The Pelicans on the defensive end are ranked 8th in the league in points given up per game with 110.3. They are forcing 14.1 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.0% from the field (4th in the NBA).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Orlando

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