Magic vs Pelicans
November 8, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
Magic vs Pelicans Player Props Picks 11/8/24
This matchup between the Orlando Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2024-25 NBA season features two young teams with contrasting styles and strengths. The Magic, with standout talents like Franz Wagner, focus on a balanced inside-out game that leverages their versatile forwards. Meanwhile, the Pelicans, led by Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, emphasize an explosive offense, especially in the paint, where Williamson dominates.
Orlando’s improved defensive approach under coach Jamahl Mosley will be crucial against New Orleans’ high-paced attack. Both teams also feature developing guard play, with New Orleans’ CJ McCollum providing veteran stability and Orlando’s backcourt showing emerging playmaking. Rebounding and defensive rotations will likely determine the winner, as both teams aim to establish early season momentum in a competitive league. Both these teams have been hit with the injury bug with the Orlando Magic losing Paolo Banchero and New Orleans Pelicans losing Murray and Dejontue Murray. Both these teams still have guys that can make us money and below I went over three player props I have my eyes on.
Zion Williamson Over 24.5 PTS -120
For the 2024-25 NBA season, Zion Williamson is averaging around 21.4 points per game for the New Orleans Pelicans. He has shown versatility with his scoring efficiency, shooting approximately 44.2% from the field, and contributes with 8.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Zion’s ability to score efficiently and impact the game with rebounds and assists has been crucial to his performance so far this season.
The key to Zion is his health. When he’s in the game he’s an elite player and can put up numbers against any team. We saw him have a 34-point performance against the Pacers then he missed two games and came back to a 29-point game against a really good Cavs team. This Pelicans team will be without McCollum, Murray, and Murphey again. Those three players would account for a lot of points. This is another reason why I love Zion to score early and often in this game.
Jalen Suggs Under 2.5 3PT -130
Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic is averaging 2.5 three-pointers made per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of around 35.7%. His consistency from beyond the arc has been crucial, and he has taken an average of about 7.0 three-point attempts per game, contributing significantly to his overall scoring output for the season.
Recently we’ve seen his three-point production slow down. He’s only made one three-pointer in each of his last four games. We continue to see Vegas set his line at 2.5. He’s still been a productive scorer for this Magic team putting up 15 points in his last game and 19 points in the game before that but we’ve seen most of his scoring come inside of the three-point line. I can’t help but continue to ride the trend until we see Suggs get back to making multiple threes a game.
Franz Wagner Over 4.5 AST – 110
Franz Wagner is averaging 4.1 assists per game with the Orlando Magic. This is part of a well-rounded performance that also includes 18.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Wagner’s playmaking has become a significant part of his game, contributing to the Magic’s offensive flow as he balances scoring with distributing effectively on the court. His impact in assists helps maintain offensive versatility for Orlando this season.
Without Paolo in the lineup, Franz would has to be the facilitator of this offense. Since Banchero’s injury, we’ve seen him have 6 assists in three of the four games. The Pelicans are also getting diced up this season allowing 29 assists per game to opposing teams which is the 4th most in the whole league.
