Who: Orlando Magic (25-32) at New Orleans Pelicans (25-32) Where: Smoothie King Center - New Orleans, Louisiana When: Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST TV: Fox Sports Florida, NBA League Pass Line: Pelicans -4.5, Over/Under 225 Injuries: Orlando - Mo Bamba (out), Markelle Fultz (out); New Orleans - Elfrid Payton (out) Storyline: The Magic, winners of five of six and seeking their first four-game winning streak since 2015, enter just two games behind the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons. They face a Pelicans team in the midst of the Anthony Davis saga. How many minutes will their star center play against the Magic? Orlando New Orleans Pace : 98.7 (26th) Pace : 102.9 (6th) ORtg : 106.0 (23rd) ORtg : 112.6 (5th) DRtg : 108.4 (12th) DRtg : 111.4 (22nd) Projected Starters: G - D.J. Augustin G - Jrue Holiday G - Evan Fournier G - E'Twaun Moore F - Jonathan Isaac F - Kenrich Williams F - Aaron Gordon F - Anthony Davis C - Nikola Vucevic C - Jahlil Okafor For Preston Ellis’ in-depth preview of Tuesday’s Magic/Pelicans game and the circus in New Orleans, click here. For some pregame content, check out the latest episode of the “Heart and Hustle” podcast, where Scott Anez, Nick Gryniewicz and Chris Crawford discuss the Magic’s playoff push and many other topics. For some perspective from the other side, visit our friends at the Pelicans community The Bird Writes. Preston penned their preview for this one as well. And as always, join the conversation below...<doc-sep>Magic vs. Pelicans Prediction Anthony Davis will play in front of home fans for the second time since requesting a trade that wasn’t honored last week at the deadline. Will the suddenly hot Magic take down the Pelicans tonight at the Smoothie King Center at 8:00 p.m. ET? Game Snapshot 573 Boston Celtics at 574 Philadelphia 76ers 8:00 p.m. ET, Tuesday, February 12, 2019 Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana Our NBA Live Odds page pulls spreads and totals from multiple different online sportsbooks so you can compare betting odds to ensure you’re getting the best line. Public Betting Trends According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Pelicans are 4.5-point favorites to beat the Magic. The total, meanwhile, sits at 226 points and as of this writing, 54% of the public betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Pelicans to cover the point spread. Orlando Magic Fantasy Spin Aaron Gordon (sore lower back) played 26 minutes on Sunday, finishing with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, two 3-pointers and one block. Gordon hit the court hard vs. the Bucks on Saturday and it's great to see him back in action the very next day -- he threw down an impressive alley-oop early tonight, so his back couldn't have been hurting too badly. The Magic traded for Markelle Fultz last week but didn't give up many win-now assets to get him, and all signs point to a final push for playoff contention. They're currently 2.0 games out the No. 8 seed, and being within range is good news for veterans like Gordon, Nikola Vucevic and D.J. Augustin. New Orleans Pelicans Pelicans Fantasy Spin Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said that Anthony Davis will play on Tuesday vs. the Magic and on Thursday vs. the Thunder. The Pelicans were warned that they would be fined $100,000 every time they sat a healthy Davis, so this was expected. His fantasy owners can pencil AD into their weekly lineups, but this could be a messy situation after the All-Star break because the Pelicans are risking an injury for arguably the most valuable trade chip in the NBA. NBA Betting Trends Orlando Magic The Magic are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous contest. New Orleans The Pelicans are 6-1 against the number in their last seven games coming off an ATS loss. Prediction The underdog is 20-7-1 against the spread in the last 28 meetings between these two teams while the Magic are 5-1 against the number in their last six road games. They’re also 5-1 against the spread in their last six games overall and have covered in four straight games when playing on only one day of rest. With the home crowd angry with the superstar and Davis not playing full minutes, I see the Magic at least keeping close with the Pels tonight. Tuesday NBA Prediction: Orlando Magic +4.5<doc-sep>The Orlando Magic have won five of their past six games and Jonathan Isaac looks great. As a reward for their impressive string of performances, Steve Clifford is taking them to the circus! The Pelicans would prefer to sit, and protect the health of, Anthony Davis until trying to trade him this summer, but the NBA threatened to fine the team $100K per game under the NBA's anti-resting policy--a policy that relates to anti-tanking. More here: https://t.co/He9xwPcGyo pic.twitter.com/XD1FyuCDiO — Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) February 11, 2019 Dun dun dun-nunna nunna nun nun nun na, dun dun dun-nunna nunna nun nun nun na! The New Orleans Pelicans may carry the same record as the Orlando Magic, but the two respective franchises are in vastly different places with opposite trajectories. The NBA is currently forcing the Pelicans to play their franchise’s best player of all-time after Davis tried to force his way to Los Angeles prior to the deadline. Amidst the impending divorce, commissioner Adam Silver is forcing fines upon owner Gayle Benson and the Pelicans for any games in which Davis sits. Even in back-to-backs, or so we thought..... After Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Davis would play around the 25 minute threshold and sit on back-to-backs, the Pelicans played Davis 35 minutes on Saturday night after sitting him during the fourth quarter on Friday. It just doesn’t get any stranger than a home crowd that boos their favorite player during introductions and when touching the ball, but reins cheers after plays like this: So, he scored 32 points in just 25 minutes in his return from a finger injury after missing nine games on Friday night, but then fired up just eight shots on Saturday against the completely overhauled Grizzlies. So....like....what should Magic fans expect from him? Expect around his typical 25/10/two blocks in 30 minutes of action. However, he should have a great degree of difficulty with the attention lobbied to him by Vucevic, Gordon and the pterodactyl help arms of Jonathan Isaac. Did we mention Isaac has been good lately? Jonathan Isaac in the six games since the NBA Rising Stars roster was announced and he wasn’t on it: 11.4 points 8.6 rebounds 2.2 blocks 1.6 steals 1.4 assists Thank you, NBA. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/U9f9TT14PW — Orlando Pinstriped Post (@OPPMagicBlog) February 11, 2019 Magic fans should also expect a standout performance from Jrue Holiday. Holiday is having an All-Star caliber season and seems destined to repeat his performance as First-Team All-Defender. He should be able to mitigate much of what Fournier and Augustin design on doing, and should score and create on the other end. But what you may not expect, is the surprising play of Jahlil Okafor, and undrafted rookie, Kenrich Williams. In previous eight starts, Jahlil Okafor's averages: 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, two blocks on 67% from the field. — Preston Ellis (@PrestonEllis) February 5, 2019 Okafor has been a revelation since earning meaningful minutes back on December 19th, and in the starting lineup has been downright fantastic. He’s even improved his defensive range, but it’s his bevy of sweet post moves that should dazzle even Nikola Vucevic. He lacks any kind of range whatsoever but finds his way to the rim without hesitation. He has missed the past two games due to a lingering ankle, but should be available for this one. Williams has been the energy spark plug this lucid unit desperately needed, and has been impressive from deep range as well. In his past six games, he’s averaging 13.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, and three assists, all on 50% and 44% from three-point range. Led by Jrue and Kenrich, the Pelicans were playing smart, tough basketball with five of their six scorers out last week. Since returning AD, Randle and Moore to the lineup, they have regressed back to the mean. Speaking of the mean, like Okafor, Julius Randle imposes his will offensively, but is putrid at recognizing matchups and switches defensively. He’s a turnstile from the perimeter on pick-and-rolls and should give the Magic what they want in the paint. The Pelicans will turn up the tempo, especially with Tim Frazier at backup point guard, and will get points in the paint early and often. But they will give up far too many open looks from three-point range and fail to communicate when getting back in transition. The Magic, who have won three straight to move within 1.5 games of the eight-seeded Heat, should also look to get out of their comfort zone offensively and cross the mid-court line a bit faster than usual. By getting into their half court offense sooner, they can take advantage of Pelican defenders’ indecisiveness and get easy looks from all over the floor, especially when Julius Randle occupies the court. One other cringe worthy note. After missing 38 of a possible 57 games this season due to a variety of ailments, the New Orleans Pelicans should make available....Elfrid Payton. If you haven’t heard much of Payton since his departure, it’s because, well, he hasn’t played much. But in his rare glimpses he’s been solid if unspectacular, keeping right along with his career averages (10 points, six assists this season) while displaying an improved deep ball (35%). And what could be more terrifying than watching Payton decisively attack the basket all while sinking a few threes? ! Alvin Gentry says Elfrid Payton is a “maybe” for tomorrow night’s game. — Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 11, 2019 Given the Magic’s steady showings over the past two weeks and the drama clouding over the Pelicans’ organization, the Magic have a chance to steal this one and climb a little bit closer to the Miami Heat. Where To Watch What: Orlando Magic (25-32) at New Orleans Pelicans (25-32) Where: Smoothie King Center, Nola When: Tuesday, February 12th, 2018, 8:00 p.m. Eastern How: Fox Sports Florida<doc-sep>The pressure is on Evan Fournier to bounce back with a potential contract year on the horizon. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) The Orlando Magic completed an impressive road trip with another dominant victory, topping the New Orleans Pelicans with a 30-point victory. Orlando Magic 118 New Orleans Pelicans 88 There was one moment of concern for the Orlando Magic against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans had cut the Magic’s 27-point first-quarter lead down to 14. It looked like they would make this game a bit more of a challenge for the Magic as the team started coasting and stopped the ball and player movement. Attention had waned. Coach Steve Clifford put an end to that quick in a timeout as he reloaded with his starters. Whatever was said in that huddle worked. The team settled down and worked the ball to Nikola Vucevic first and foremost. He broke down Jahlil Okafor and Anthony Davis on the block and hit several big shots to steady the Magic. And that would be all they needed. Really the team’s early kick of ball movement, cutting and shooting was all they needed, winning the first quarter 39-17 and taking such a firm grip on the game that it was hardly a challenge the rest of the way. Orlando came out of the halftime locker room on fire as New Orleans waited until the last minute to try to straighten things out. The Pelicans never did. The Magic raced ahead by more than 20 points and led by as much as 31 in a 118-88 victory at Smoothie King Center on Tuesday. The Magic started racking up some impressive factoids that show the team has turned a corner at least temporarily. Orlando is playing its best basketball in several years. This is the first four-game win streak for the Magic since the 2015 season. This marked the first sweep of a road trip of three games or more since the 2009 Finals season. It is the first time in franchise history they have won three straight road games by 15 points or more. All those are interesting factoids. But the reality is the Magic are playing fantastic overall. They shot just 44.2 percent from the floor but dominated the game offensively and defensively throughout. Orlando hit 13 of 32 3-pointers and 21 of 22 free throws. New Orleans made just 38.3 percent of their shots and took just eight free throws. The Magic have had fouls derail solid defensive performances, but not tonight. This was a strong showing to finish off this road trip. They shut down Anthony Davis (when Davis did not shut himself down). But most importantly they seem to have a perspective on their success. They know they are playing well, but they know there is still work to do. Evan Fournier said the team is not celebrating anything, they still have ground to make up to get into the Playoff picture. With performances like the past three outings, there is plenty of reason to believe they can keep making this push. Jonathan Isaac to beat them from the outside throughout the game. In the first few minutes of the game, Jonathan Isaac had hoisted three 3-pointers. They were open but he was still struggling. What is most impressive about the Orlando Magic is twofold. First, Isaac keeps shooting the 3-pointers knowing he will make them eventually. And second, Orlando keeps believing in the young player he will get there. Isaac made good on that belief. He would hit a three eventually, but he would also attack the basket off the closeouts and work the offensive glass to get points. He scored 16 of his career-high 20 points in the first quarter. He added seven rebounds and three more blocks. Isaac has kept his confidence even with inefficient shooting performances. Isaac made only 7 of 18 shots. That efficiency part is the next part of his game. He clearly has the confidence to keep attacking and keep playing his game. That part is not going to change for him at the moment. And he is not letting anything affect his killer defense. " > JONATHAN ISAAC F, Orlando Magic A- The New Orleans Pelicans were going to dare Jonathan Isaac to beat them from the outside throughout the game. In the first few minutes of the game, Jonathan Isaac had hoisted three 3-pointers. They were open but he was still struggling. What is most impressive about the Orlando Magic is twofold. First, Isaac keeps shooting the 3-pointers knowing he will make them eventually. And second, Orlando keeps believing in the young player he will get there. Isaac made good on that belief. He would hit a three eventually, but he would also attack the basket off the closeouts and work the offensive glass to get points. He scored 16 of his career-high 20 points in the first quarter. He added seven rebounds and three more blocks. Isaac has kept his confidence even with inefficient shooting performances. Isaac made only 7 of 18 shots. That efficiency part is the next part of his game. He clearly has the confidence to keep attacking and keep playing his game. That part is not going to change for him at the moment. And he is not letting anything affect his killer defense. " > Nikola Vucevic, he was there for him. No one should discount the plays he made in the second quarter to wake the Magic out of their funk and re-assert themselves for the lead. Vucevic scored 25 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. He was efficient from every spot on the floor and rarely had to force anything. When he did, he made shots at critical moments that kept the Magic ahead and ahead for good. This was a perfect game for Vucevic in a lot of ways. He was fantastic protecting the lane, using his hands and length to force difficult shots over the top. He did not record a block, but changed a lot of shots and worked hard for rebounds throughout the night. "<doc-sep>
NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 30: Terrence Ross #31 of the Orlando Magic dunks the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on October 30, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) The Orlando Magic look to make a sweep of a critical pre-All-Star Break road trip as they take on Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans. Orlando Magic (25-32) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (25-32) Time/TV: 8 p.m./FOX Sports Florida WATCH MAGIC-PELICANS ON FUBO TV Line: Pelicans by 4.5 Tickets: $3-$155 on Vivid Seats 2019 Season Series: Tonight in New Orleans; March 20 in Orlando Pace Off. Rtg. Def. Rtg. eFG% O.Reb.% TO% FTR Orlando 98.7 106.0 108.4 51.1 25.0 13.8 21.5 New Orleans 102.9 112.6 111.4 53.3 28.8 13.9 27.5 1) Jonathan Isaac admitted to Gabriel Stovall of the Orlando Sentinel that his ankle injury in December had him mentally reeling. But now he is gaining confidence and is helping drive the team’s sudden surge. It is certainly at the point the Magic should trust him more. Isaac is developing into a “five-tool” player, John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com writes. 2) The Orlando Magic are buying into what Steve Clifford is preaching and buying into themselves as the Playoff race gets real. 3) The Orlando Magic are energized by playing meaningful games and being in the thick of the Playoff race, John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com writes. 4) The Orlando Magic’s offense is clicking as they get into the paint more and it is a big driver to the team’s recent success. 5) The Orlando Magic continue to be one of the best passing teams in the league, Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com writes. 6) On today’s Locked On Magic, Terrence Ross has taken on the moniker of The Human Torch and it has helped charge the Orlando Magic’s offense: 7) The Orlando Magic are gelling at the right moment to make a Playoff push. 8) Quentin Richardson and Ryan Hollins discuss on Yahoo! Sports whether the New Orleans Pelicans are being petty in limiting Anthony Davis’ minutes. 9) Terry Kimble of Pelican Debrief asks what happens if the offers do not get better for Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans’ plan backfires. 10) The New Orleans Pelicans must develop and play their young players with Anthony Davis’ trade request looming in the background, Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate writes. 11) The 2019 Southeast Division is one of the worst divisions in NBA history, Jared Dubin of FiveThirtyEight writes. 12) The Orlando Magic are excited to add Markelle Fultz to the team, but more than willing to wait for him to be ready to join the team healthy. 13) I spoke to Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense about Markelle Fultz and what the Orlando Magic can expect from him. 14) Zach Harper of The Athletic says the Orlando Magic cannot really grade their acquisition of Markelle Fultz until they see what he can become on the court. But even if he becomes a useful rotation player, it would be measured a success. 15) Markelle Fultz may be a bigger risk than many are willing to admit, Spencer Henderson writes. 16) Former Orlando Magic center Jason Smith is happy to return to the New Orleans Pelicans after his second in-season trade this year, Andrew Lopez of NOLA.com writes. 17) Aaron Gordon said after Sunday’s game, the Orlando Magic are showing growth in putting their foot down to defeat the Atlanta Hawks. Jonathan Isaac agreed, saying everyone locked in for the win. And Nikola Vucevic said the team showed maturity in taking care of business in the win. Steve Clifford said he was proud of the win from the Magic. 18) Recent acquisition Anthony Brown is having a big impact for the streaking Lakeland Magic, Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com writes.