Brandon Ingram since his 2016 draft has failed to replicate his high school success. After being traded to the Pelicans from the Lakers in 2019, the 26-year-old is finding his feet and has been a major part of the Pelicans up rise this season.
With the regular season winding down to its last paces, staying fit with form is essential but for Ingram, it cannot be said as the Pelicans forward concerns the franchise with his latest injury he picked up against the Orlando Magic.
Brandon Ingram leaves with injury
The New Orleans Pelicans had a poor outcome on Thursday, losing not only the game to the Orlando Magic but also their small forward Brandon Ingram.
While trying to defend Jalen Suggs’ drive in the third quarter, Brandon received an injury to his knee. His teammates had to carry the 2020 All-Star off the court. The forward was taken to the locker room and was eventually ruled out of the game. In the 21 minutes he played, he was able to score 14 points, grab 4 rebounds, and dish out 3 assists while shooting 7 out of 12 attempts.
The 26-year-old playmaker will be expected to recover quickly as the Pelicans have already dealt with a string of injuries, including Zion Williamson’s, which cost them a great deal in the league. The Pelicans will preferably depend on Trey Murphy III for the time being in Brandon’s absence. There has been no update about the seriousness of Brandon’s knee injury but the franchise certainly suffered a loss following his exit from the game.
Pelicans lose to Magic after Ingram exit
The Pelicans had a good start in the game, leading by 8 points in the first quarter. However, the game turned in the next two quarters when the Magic dominated by 34-20 and 38-27, which helped them win the game by 121-106.
The Magic swinger Jalen Suggs scored a game-high 22 points but Paolo Banchero stole the show with his triple-double. The power forward scored 20 points, 10 assists, and 11 assists to extend their winning streak to five. Despite missing the 10 initial shots, Banchero managed to shoot 9 out of the 18 attempts he made from the floor while shooting at 40% from the 3-point range.
Zion Williamson scored 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, while Murphy added 21 to the scoreboard but failed to secure a win. The Pelicans are struggling to ascertain their 5th spot on the Western Conference table so that they do not have to go through the playins in the offseason. They will try to change their 42-27 record against the Heat in their upcoming game on March 23.
