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The Orlando Magic will look to complete a clean sweep of their preseason schedule as they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday in their preseason finale.
The matchup opens a five-game Thursday-night slate in the NBA and is one of three interconference clashes scheduled for the evening.
Here’s a preview of Thursday’s New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic game, scheduled to tip off 7 p.m. ET at Kia Center.
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New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic Preview and Odds
Moneyline: Pelicans (+200) vs Magic (-250)
Spread: Pelicans +6.5 (-110) vs Magic +6.5 (-110)
Total (O/U): Pelicans o230.5 (-110) vs Magic u230.5 (-110)
Editor's note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic preview
The New Orleans Pelicans enter this contest with a shortened preseason slate. This will be only their second and final tune-up game following a tight 130-128 loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Despite the loss, the Pelicans’ revamped starting lineup impressed in limited minutes.
Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III and Yves Missi all finished in double figures, while the bench unit saw strong contributions from Jeremiah Fears (20 points), Saddiq Bey (16 points) and Jordan Hawkins (13 points).
New Orleans has built a youthful, dynamic roster that flashed potential in their lone preseason outing, even in defeat against a deep Houston squad.
The Magic, meanwhile, have dominated through the preseason, defeating the Miami Heat by eight points, blowing out the Philadelphia 76ers by 30 and beating the Heat again by 16.
In their latest victory, Franz Wagner poured in 17 points in just 16 minutes, while against Philadelphia, Wendell Carter Jr. and Paolo Banchero starred with 20 points and 13 rebounds, and 13 points, respectively.
While no team is playing with full intensity during preseason, the Magic’s ability to consistently roll past opponents -- even with limited minutes for their starters -- hints at a promising start to the regular season.
Their newest addition, Desmond Bane, is expected to be a key upgrade. He’s averaged 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game so far, and his eventual fit alongside the Magic’s healthy core will be worth watching once the real games begin.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic prediction
The Pelicans have shown resilience against talented, deep teams, and if they deploy the same rotation used versus Houston, they could edge out the Magic, especially if Orlando opts to rest key players.
Our prediction: Pelicans win by 11.
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About the author
Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro
English (US)