Pelicans vs Magic Player Props
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The surprising Orlando Magic are on the cusp of their first playoff appearance since 2020.
While forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner garner the majority of the headlines, Jalen Suggs has played a pivotal role at the guard position for the upstart Magic.
In his third season, Suggs is averaging a career-high 12.4 points per game. He’s cleared 11.5 points in 14 of his last 21 games. And if you narrow the focus to games in which Suggs has played at least 24 minutes, the Gonzaga product has an 82% success rate on this line over his last 17 contests.
The minutes are the key here. The Magic have utilized a robust rotation for most of the season, which has several perimeter players seeing regular playing time.
However, with Orlando looking to cement playoff seeding in a tight Eastern Conference, Suggs has seen an uptick in playing time in close games.
In fact, Suggs has played at least 30 minutes in six of the last seven Magic games that were decided by fewer than 10 points.
While a close game is far from a certainty in today’s NBA, a matchup against the equally motivated Pelicans should yield a close game. New Orleans is a four-point favorite, as of writing.
It should be a solid spot for Suggs, too.
The Pelicans' weakness defensively is against spot-up shooters — they allow the eighth-most spot-up points per game — and in transition (13th). The two play types are Suggs’ strongest, and they collectively account for more than half of his points this season.
In their February meeting, Suggs notched 22 points on 14 field goal attempts, and both marks are his highest since January. I like the two-way guard to get it going again tonight, as I have Suggs projected at 14 points.
