New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic Prediction: Sloppy Pels meet young but bustling Magic

The NBA scene is kindred with spirited battles and we are into the last quarter of the grueling Regular Season as the Playoffs come near. The upcoming window will be full of crunch-time scenarios as we head closer and closer. Anyway, in one of the more crucial games to finish the season, the New Orleans Pelicans are going to take on the Orlando Magic.

The Pelicans come into this game after losing 108:126 despite a 19 points performance by Brandon Ingram. The Pels have lost three in a row and they have been struggling a bit with 31 losses and 30 wins. They have lost 14 of their 18 games and this has been a period of heavy strife for the team as they have been playing without Zion Williamson. Williamson may miss the rest of the season and without him, the Pels are overly reliant upon Brandon Ingram.

CJ McCollum hasn’t delivered in the required manner whereas Jonas Valanciunas has his own limitations. Overall, the squad is falling apart without Zion, whose two-way intensity kept the Pels in the hunt for a top-six squad. They are seated at the tenth spot, barely hanging on to the Play-in sport, constantly threatened by the Trail Blazers and the Lakers.

The Magic comes into the game after losing 108:121 against the Pacers despite a 21 points performance by Franz Wagner. The Magic has won half of their last six games and are currently with 36 losses and 25 wins. Though the record is nothing exceptional, do remember this Magic team fields multiple rookies, sophomores, and inexperienced players. This has been a great return for the team that added the highly talented Forward Paolo Banchero to the mix.

The Guard positions remain suspect and need some nourishment but the play of the Forwards Wagner, Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr, and Bol Bol, but yes, Bol has lost a bunch of minutes recently. The Magic does stand an outside chance of getting to the Play-in tournament but the road is murky for them. Whether they reach the Play-in or not, there is no doubt that this team is just a strong Guard away from being an even bigger threat. This rebuild is heading in the right direction.

• Pelicans: OUT: Zion Williamson, Larry Nance;
• Magic: Game-Time Decision: Michael Carter Williams. OUT: Jonathan Isaac.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Brandon Ingram(26+ Points), Franz Wagner(20+ Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Jonas Valanciunas (12+ Rebounds), Wendell Carter Jr(10+ Rebounds).

The Pels have been playing some underwhelming basketball ever since Williamson has been down. On the other hand, the Magic has been delivering some great basketball but has some ways to go as a playoff squad. The Pels’ frontline will have trouble against the highly-rated Magic. I believe in this game, the difference will be Ingram’s play and the Pels will eke a close 113:109 win.