Before Friday night, Brandon Ingram’s week hadn’t gone as planned. Attempting to recover from a bone bruise in his left knee, he endured two lackluster games as the New Orleans Pelicans lost their regular-season finale and the first play-in tournament game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ingram rebounded on Friday, propelling the Pelicans to the playoffs. With a team-leading 24 points from Ingram and a solid defensive effort, the Pelicans defeated the Sacramento Kings 105-98, securing the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
New Orleans will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
“This was the goal at the beginning of the year,” Ingram said. “Throughout it, we had some injuries. We had different things happen. But we had another opportunity today, and we came in and everybody contributed.”
Pelicans vs Lakers (Via Getty Images)
Following Tuesday’s loss, Ingram, who didn’t play the final seven-plus minutes, was at the Pelicans’ practice facility early Wednesday morning, working to regain his form.
Ingram sustained the injury against the Orlando Magic on March 21 and returned for the regular-season finale on Sunday. Adjusting back was challenging, but he found his groove on Friday.
“It’s been one of my healthiest seasons, and I was out for three weeks just watching and trying to stay disciplined,” Ingram said.
“It’s hard just trying to stay disciplined, trying to stay locked in, knowing I wanted to be out on the floor. That was three weeks that passed, and I was just coming in and trying to play 30 minutes after all that and be locked in.”
Pelicans vs Lakers (Via NBA/Twitter)
One of Ingram’s defensive plays proved pivotal in the second quarter, helping the Pelicans seize momentum. Despite picking up his third foul, he remained in the game after a conversation with Pelicans coach Willie Green.
“I told him, ‘I’m taking you out.’ And he said, ‘No, I need you to trust me,'” Green said.
“So that’s the relationship part of it that he and I, along with the rest of the guys, you build a relationship, and that’s a moment where I said, ‘OK, I trust you. You better not pick up your fourth.’ And he was able to play through it.”
Ingram’s persistence paid off as the Pelicans secured their spot in the playoffs. Now, with 49 wins this season, they join a select group of teams that have won at least 49 games but entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
