New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic, NBA 2024-25 Season, Today Match Prediction

Teams Preview

New Orleans Pelicans Preview

The New Orleans Pelicans currently have the second worst record in the Western Conference, sitting at the 14th spot with an 18-48 record. The Pelicans are 5-5 in their last 10 matches. Although before that, the team was on a 4-game winning streak, which was their best performance during this season. Their only wins for February came against the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs. March has seen the team perform better. After suffering a 4-game losing streak, they finally won a game against the Clippers in which Zion Williamson notched up a triple double to see his team through. 

Statistically, they have been very bad at both ends of the floor; they average 43.4 rebounds per game (23rd in the league) and 25.6 assists per game (20th in the league). Offensively they average 111 points per game, ranking them 21st overall. Defensively, they give up 119.1 points per game, which is the 26th in the league, which is part of their problem. CJ McCollum, however, has tried filling in with 22.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists which places him second in the Pelicans scoring chart at the time of writing. Zion Williamson is the leading scorer for the Pelicans. He averages 24.5 points per game to go with 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He is averaging just 28.4 minutes per game. Trey Murphy III averages 21.8 points per game. Dejounte Murray leads the charts in terms of assists for the team with 7.4 assists per game.

The Pelicans have a long list of injuries, Dejounte Murray, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn right Achilles tendon. He is accompanied by Brandon Boston and Herbert Jones. Their starting lineup should include Jose Alvardo as the point guard, CJ McCollum as the shooting guard, Trey Murphy III as the small forward, Zion Williamson as the power forward, and Yves Missi at center. 

Orlando Magic Preview

The Orlando Magic are experiencing a drastic dip in form. In January alone they lost 11 games out of the 15 games played. The Orlando side is gradually improving with the return of their key players and currently record 3-7 in their last 10 games. Despite this inconsistent performance, the Magic is still in contention for the play-in tournament. A team that was once ranked 4th in the Eastern Conference has dropped down to 8th in the table. Currently, they are ranked 2nd in the Southeast Division and 8th in the Eastern Conference with a 30-36 record. A major reason behind the dip in form was the injuries faced by the Orlando Magic.

Paolo Banchero, who was having himself an all-star level season at the beginning of the season, has played just 32 of the 66 games played. Another star for the team, Franz Wagner has played 46 games so far. Franz Wagner is the leading scorer of the team, averaging 24.5 points per game, while Paolo averages 24.3 points per game. Injuries played a crucial role for the young Orlando team. Another starter, Jalen Suggs has played just 35 games. Their statistics show that the team ranks last on the offensive side, scoring a mere 104.3 points per game. In terms of rebounds, they average 41.5 rebounds, ranking them 27th in this category, and 29th for assists per game with just 22.8 assists per game. However, they excel defensively, allowing opponents to just 106.1 points per game, giving them the best defensive record in the entire league.

With the team getting back to full strength, Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner find themselves sidelined due to injury. The starting five should include Anthony Black as a point guard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a shooting guard, Franz Wagner as the small forward, Paolo Banchero as a power forward, and Goga Bitadze as the center.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic Starting Lineups