Orlando Magic vs New Orleans Pelicans Pick for April 1st

The Orlando Magic try to make it two massive upsets in a row when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in the Big Easy. Orlando is coming off a stunning upset over the Los Angeles Clippers two nights ago. Meanwhile, New Orleans is trying to rev up a rally to try and salvage what’s been a disappointing year for them.

Moneyline Betting Odds

• New Orleans Pelicans (-175)
• Orlando Magic (+155)

Spread Betting Odds

• New Orleans Pelicans -4 (-107)
• Orlando Magic +4 (-113)

Over/Under Betting Odds

• Over 213 (-110)
• Under 213 (-110)

Orlando is in the midst of a road stretch that came on the heels of their massive trade-off at the trading deadline. But they’ve played surprisingly stout basketball in the first two games in Los Angeles. Now they make the journey to New Orleans sporting a 16-31 record, which is ahead of only Detroit in the Eastern Conference.

The Pelicans are trying to lift themselves off the mat, as the team with seemingly loads of young talent hasn’t been able to put together any stretch of consistent play all year long. But the good news is that they’ve won two in a row over two teams (Boston and Dallas) likely headed for the postseason. Still, the Pels are only 12^th in the West, as they were recently leapfrogged by the red-hot Sacramento Kings.

Injury Report

All eyes today will be on the status of Zion Williamson. The superstar sophomore has largely steered clear of the injuries that hassled him as both a rookie and during his one year of college. But a thumb injury suffered in the Pels win over Boston could have changed all that.

There was original concern that it was a much worse injury, but the good news is that it’s just a sprain. That still puts him in jeopardy against Orlando tonight, so you’ll obviously want to keep checking back as much as possible if you’re placing real money bets at online sportsbooks. The line could change drastically if he does have to miss, as New Orleans may play it safe with the feel that they could handle the Magic without him (although they should ask the Clippers if that’s a good idea.)

No word yet either on the status of Lonzo Ball, the New Orleans point guard who has been missing for a few games with a hip injury. The Pelicans would get a boost if he returns, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker has played well in his absence, averaging 17.8 points per game in the last five. Orlando doesn’t have any major injuries in terms of the guys who have been playing in recent games for them.

Magical Indeed

Orlando has played three games since the mass exodus of players that saw them lose Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier, among others. As if that wasn’t a turbulent enough situation, they had to make all these transition while heading out on a five-game stretch of road games against some of the best in the West.

They started off battling a Laker team missing its best two players to the hilt before bowing 96-93 on Sunday night. But nobody could have expected what would happen two nights ago at the Staples Center. Seriously, nobody:

The Clippers lost to the Magic.

The Orlando Magic.

Yes, to the team that just traded their 3 best players. pic.twitter.com/il2kTf9XnM

— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 31, 2021

What made it even more incredible was the way in how they did it. The Magic fell behind 26-13 in the first quarter, which made it look like it would be a blowout. Even though they battled back in the third, they were still seemingly on their way to a loss when they went on a 17-3 run late, scoring 11 in a row at one point to overtake the stunned Clips.

How did they do it? Their bench came up huge:

• Terrence Ross: 15 points, 8-8 FTs
• Otto Porter Jr.: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
• Mo Bamba: 12 points, 8 rebounds
• Wendell Carter Jr.: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocked shots

These are guys who are looking for more opportunity than they might have had in their previous roles or locations. And although they’re probably not at star level, they certainly can’t be taken lightly. New Orleans’ bench could be thin tonight, especially if Zion and/or Lonzo sits, which could put this group even more in the spotlight.

In addition, rookie Chuma Okeke has started to find his footing in the absence of all the departed players. Look at his numbers on the season compared to the last three:

• Okeke in 2020-21: 6.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.9 APG
• Okeke in last three: 18 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3 APG

Okeke was the team’s first-round pick this year out of Auburn. One of the benefits of letting go all their stars is that Orlando will get to see what he can do with increased minutes. The early results are certainly very encouraging, and New Orleans will have to be wary of what this youngster can do.

Defenseless in New Orleans

Coach Stan Van Gundy was supposed to initiate a new era in New Orleans, and he has had the benefit of what seems like a much-improved roster from a year ago, along with a healthy Zion Williamson. Yet the results have been underwhelming, and the main issue has been on the defensive end. In a year where the defenses in the league have been battered and bruised by sweet-shooting three-point marksman, the Pelicans have been especially susceptible:

Best single-season offensive rating in NBA history:

1. Clippers

2. Nets

3. Jazz

4. Nuggets

5. Blazers

All from this season. pic.twitter.com/xbepwZXGMO

— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 31, 2021

What’s been disappointing is that New Orleans’ offseason acquisitions were firmly pointed towards helping out the defense. Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe, in particular, were brought in with the idea of shoring up the D. Yet both have mostly struggled in all respects this year, leaving New Orleans fighting a losing battle to stop anybody.

A favorite giving up as many points as the Pelicans are in this none will need to play good defense or else shoot the lights right out of the gym. Letting Orlando get comfortable offensively is the best way to keep them in the game. Yet New Orleans hasn’t really shown the consistent commitment to defense to suggest that they can prevent that from happening.

What’s the Best Bet?

Oddly enough, even though New Orleans has been a much better team, record-wise, at home rather than on the road, their covering stats tell a different story. As a home favorite this season, New Orleans is only 5-10 for the bet against the spread. That speaks to their inability to play good enough defense to keep weaker teams from staying in the game.

On top of that, you have the uncertainty surrounding Zion tonight. If he should miss the game, that would certainly change the complexion of everything, with 9 points suddenly seeming like a ton. But even if he does play, when you add in the sudden scrappiness of the Magic, you have the perfect recipe for a road-dog cover.