NBA Regular Season 2023/24
On Friday night, the NBA will see an inter-conference clash between two extremely in-form teams who have legitimate hopes of home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. German basketball world champion Franz Wagner is also in the thick of it!
My Magic Pelicans tip, which is worth downloading the Bet365 app for, explains why I expect at least 208 points in the overall game
While the Orlando Magic were in danger of giving away their strong start and even their playoff participation between the end of December and the beginning of February (8-16 record), things have been on the upswing for the Magic since then.
Orlando has won 16 of 21 games since February and has the fifth-best defense in that period (rating of 109.2).
They have also won all of their last four games (against lightweights Brooklyn, Toronto twice and Charlotte)
Somewhat surprisingly, the Floridians’ offense has only ranked 18th in the period since February (114).
With a 41-28 record and half a game behind the fourth-placed Knicks, the Magic still have a good chance of home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
With power forward Paolo Banchero (21), the reigning Rookie of the Year and recent first-time All-Star, and German small forward Franz Wagner (22), the Magic have a promising young core around which they want to build a contender.
While Banchero has been much more efficient offensively so far in his sophomore year and has also improved his passing (22.7 points and 5.3 assists on 46.6% from the field and 36.8% from the three-point line), co-star Wagner has stagnated somewhat statistically (shooting rates of 47.9% from the field and just 28.9% from the three-point line).
Meanwhile, brother and co-world champion Moritz Wagner (26) has established himself as one of the league’s best off-the-bench energizers with 11 points per game and a strong shooting percentage of 59.4% from the field.
The visitors from New Orleans are also on a high at the moment and have lost just one of their last seven games (against Cleveland) and have won all of their last three.
In particular, the away win against the defensively strong Knicks at the end of February and the home win against the LA Clippers last Saturday can be chalked up as real statement wins.
Alongside Boston, Denver and Oklahoma, New Orleans is only one of four teams in the top 10 at both ends of the floor.
The Waterfowl’s offense is currently the ninth-best (rating of 117.1), while the defense is the sixth-best in the league (111.6).
With a record of 42-26, the Pelicans are also in fifth place in the Western Conference and, like the Magic, are just one game behind the fourth-placed Clippers.
NOLA figurehead Zion Williamson (22.7 points and 5 assists on 58.4% from the field) is currently playing the most versatile and team-serving season of his somewhat enigmatic career to date and appears to be in the best physical shape since his college days.
The undersized big man is complemented by co-star forward Brandon Ingram (21 points and 5.8 asissts) and sharpshooting guard C.J. McCollum (18.3 points on 41.2% from the three-point line).
The fact that the Magic have won the last three head-to-head duels does not exactly speak in favor of the team from Louisiana.
Even though I see the Pelicans as the favorites tonight, I expect a close game at eye level, which is why I’m not betting on the result.
Instead, I recommend a points bet on over 207.5 points in the course of the game, which is listed in the sports betting apps with odds around 1.77.
I find these odds surprisingly high, given that Magic games average 219.6 points and NOLA games average 226.7 points.
Perhaps the bookies are being confused here by the numerous composed victories of both teams against lottery teams in the recent past, in which Orlando and New Orleans allowed only a few points each.
The fact that both teams go into today’s game with a day of rest under their belts also speaks in favor of my NBA betting tip.
The same applies to Zion’s current top form, which leads me to my alternative bet.
I consider the bet “Zion with over 23.5 points” at Bet365 (1.83 odds) to be similarly promising.
However, due to the strong Pelicans offense and the impressive form of their best offensive weapon, my Magic Pelicans tip to you is: Over 207.5 points in the game!
