Brandon Ingram made history with his epic performance in the Pelicans’ demolition of the Raptors on Monday night.
The New Orleans Pelicans have assembled one of the deepest teams in the association, but the NBA remains a star-driven league. Thankfully, the Pelicans have two bona fide stars on their roster, and on Monday night, in their 138-100 demolition of the Toronto Raptors, Brandon Ingram showed why he can be one of the most dangerous players on the court on any given night, regardless of matchup.
In just 30 minutes of play, Ingram dropped a pristine 41 points on 16-21 shooting from the field, leaving the Raptors defenders helpless and left clamoring for an answer. He added six rebounds and nine assists, and he made eight three-pointers as well; it was simply an elite performance from the Pelicans star.
But that may not be the most impressive part; despite all his usage on the night, he was able to take care of the basketball at an unprecedented level in NBA history. According to Pelicans PR on Twitter (X), Brandon Ingram became the first player in NBA history to score 40 points and drop nine assists without turning the ball over in 30 or fewer minutes of action.
Ingram has tended to fade into the background for the Pelicans at times; Zion Williamson is always a headline-grabber not only due to his highflying exploits, but also due to his off-court shenanigans, while CJ McCollum remains a ball-dominant guard. But the Pelicans know that when the stretch run of the season is looming, that’s when Ingram turns it up.
In 2022, it was Brandon Ingram who took the reins for the Pelicans, leading them to a competitive matchup against the first-seeded Phoenix Suns. The following year, Ingram became a man on a mission from February onwards, keeping the Pelicans afloat following Williamson’s injury. And then in 2024, it looks like BI is channeling his clutch gene just in time.
New Orleans will be such a difficult team to stop for any team in the playoffs if Ingram is clicking like this and if he manages to be more in control and avoid being careless with the basketball. It’s not a stretch to say that the Pelicans will go as far as Ingram can take them.
Source link