One-time New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Brandon Ingram suffered a scary left knee injury last night, during the third quarter of what would wind up being a 121-106 loss to the Orlando Magic. He planted awkwardly on his left foot while striving to keep up with young Magic shooting guard Jalen Suggs, and wound up falling over and holding his knee. Pelicans teammates had to help him walk off the court. Here’s the moment:
Now, New Orleans has provided an update on Ingram’s status going forward. The team’s official Twitter/X account has revealed the results of imaging on the 6’8″ ex-Dukie’s ailing joint. Per the Pelicans, the former No. 2 overall lottery pick has suffered a left knee bone contusion. He is set to be reassessed in two weeks. With the 2023-24 regular season slated to end in three, here’s hoping he recuperates sooner rather than later.
Brandon Ingram underwent an MRI after
hyperextending his left knee during the third quarter of last night’s game against the Orlando Magic.The results of the MRI revealed a left knee bone contusion.
Ingram will be re-evaluated in two weeks
and additional updates will be…— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 22, 2024
Across 63 contests this year, Ingram is averaging 20.9 points on .490/.356/.801 shooting splits, 5.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks a night. Playing just 21 minutes due to the injury last night, Ingram scored 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor (0-of-1 from long range), pulled down four rebounds, dished out three dimes, and swiped one steal. With Ingram sidelined, look for small forward Trey Murphy III to slot into his starting role short-term.
Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The Pelicans have a second straight match today, against another tough Florida-based opponent: the Miami Heat. The game is slated to tip off at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET, and will be streaming on Bally Sports Sun in Florida and Fox 8 WVUE-TV NOLA in… guess where. Miami won their last meeting in January, 106-95. The Pelicans may catch an injury break on the other side, however. All-Star center Bam Adebayo missed Miami’s latest contest, a 107-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, with a lower back contusion, and is questionable to play.
New Orleans, 42-27 on the year, is presently the fifth seed in a crowded Western Conference. It absolutely is hoping to avoid a slide into the play-in tournament bracket sans Ingram, who has only missed six games to this point in the year and was playing like a fringe All-NBA talent. Here’s hoping that Murphy can help the Pelicans survive this.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.