In the first quarter of Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks, Brandon Ingram rolled his right ankle.
Ingram was helped off the ground. He received medical treatment on the Pelicans bench and then returned to the locker room.
Once the second quarter started, Ingram was ready to go. He scored 24 points and distributed six assists in the Pelicans’ victory.
This season, Ingram has played 55 games out of a possible 61. Assuming he dresses on Tuesday, Ingram will have already surpassed his games played total from last season (45 games) and two seasons ago (55 games).
Ingram’s durability helped put New Orleans on track to have one of its most successful regular seasons in franchise history. The Pelicans (36-25) are in sixth place in the Western Conference and their goal is to achieve 50 wins and a top-six finish so they can qualify for the playoffs without having to go through the playoff tournament. in.
Last season, the Pelicans were in position to make the playoffs until a 10-game losing streak that began in mid-January skewed their season. Zion Williamson, who was recovering from a right hamstring strain, was unable to play at all during the skid. Ingram missed six of 10 games. An injury the Pelicans described as a bruised left toe knocked out Ingram for 29 straight games.
Collectively, Williamson and Ingram have missed a combined 90 games in 2022-23. Their difficulties staying on the field contributed to the team’s decision to parts ways with Vice President of Player Care and Performance Aaron Nelson Last spring. The Pelicans have restructured their medical staff by bringing in Amy Atmore, a physical therapist. Executive Vice President David Griffin also said in October that he would have less influence on the medical side since he would entrust these responsibilities to general manager Trajan Langdon.
Whether it was the changes the Pelicans made to their medical staff this offseason, the improvement in injury risk, or a combination of the two, the results were better. Williamson and Ingram have only missed a total of 17 games this season. For the second time in five years as teammates, they each played in at least 50 games.
“That’s what we’ve been saying all year long,” backup point guard Jose Alvarado said. “If we have those guys, we’ll be in the situation we want.” I am happy. I’m grateful that they’re healthy and playing for the time that we’re playing.
“We have to accumulate wins. It’s pretty tight in the West. We have to keep winning games so we don’t make the play-ins.”
In Friday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, Ingram played one of the best games of his professional career. He scored 19 points in the first quarter. The 48 points the Pelicans scored in the first quarter were the most in a quarter in franchise history. Ingram finished with 34 points (13-of-21 shooting), eight rebounds and six assists. The Pelicans crushed the Pacers by 45 points during Ingram’s 30 minutes on the floor.
Two nights before Friday’s win over the Pacers, the Pelicans lost a hard-fought game between the two teams in Indianapolis. The Pelicans were on their second consecutive night. Due to a mechanical problem, their plane did not land in Indiana until 5:30 a.m. on game day.
In previous years, the Pelicans could have rested many of their regulars in this situation. They didn’t do it on Wednesday.
Ingram and Williamson were in the lineup. So did CJ McCollum, who missed the previous two games with a sprained left ankle. The Pelicans fell behind by 20 points early, but cut the Pacers’ lead to just three points in the final five minutes.
Pelicans coach Willie Green said he was proud of the way his team competed.
“This is major growth and something we are emphasizing,” Green said. “We’ll have some banged up guys. Our medical team and performance team are doing an incredible job navigating this season and keeping our guys, for the most part, healthy. It’s great to have our full squad. It’s the mentality. We will continue to show up and watch every game in front of us and give ourselves an opportunity to win it.
