Brandon Ingram believed his best offensive strategy during the second half of Monday’s In-Season Tournament quarterfinal was to drive to the basket, but there was a problem. Sacramento defenders were subtly bumping him and hand-checking the 190-pound forward as he dribbled, a defensive tactic that normally results in quick foul calls. However, on this night, with these single-elimination stakes and postseason-like conditions, that was not happening. Ingram decided to take a slightly different approach, before returning to his initial game plan. The results were fantastic.
Ingram shook off the Kings’ forceful defense and poured in 17 second-half points. He totaled 30 points in the game, leading New Orleans to a 127-117 road victory that advanced the Pelicans to Thursday’s semifinal round in Las Vegas. When Sacramento got physical, the 6-foot-8 Ingram rose over defenders, shooting 3/6 from three-point range. He went 10/20 from the field and eventually did get his free-throw tally up to 7/9. He added eight rebounds, six assists and a steal in one of his most memorable performances since coming to the Crescent City in 2019.
“Just to continue to be aggressive,” Ingram said afterward of his offensive focus. “The whistle wasn’t blowing tonight (for Sacramento defensive fouls), so I had to take control of it, try to get the best shot on the floor, get to the basket, get to my spots. The three-ball was falling tonight. My teammates did a really, really good job on the offensive and defensive end, pushing the pace, rebounding.”
In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals Highlights: Brandon Ingram racks up 30 points vs. Sacramento Kings 12/4/23
New Orleans (12-10) led for the entire second half, but Sacramento (11-8) kept making mini-runs to tighten the score and ignite a very loud, playoff-level Golden 1 Center. Ingram’s 12 third-quarter points turned back the Kings on several occasions. His lone three-point make of the second half bounced high off the rim, then fell slowly through the net, deflating the sellout crowd.
“BI was incredible,” third-year head coach Willie Green said. “He put us on his shoulders and he carried us. He hit big shot after big shot. Whenever we needed a big bucket, we put it in his hands. He’s a big-time player.”
“He won us the game,” guard Jose Alvarado described. “He was the leader he’s supposed to be. He stepped up and said, ‘You know what, I’m going to put you on my back and we’re going to go to the promised land,’ and that’s what he did.”
Four of Ingram’s trips to the foul line came in the fourth quarter, helping to ice the victory. He was 6/11 from the field after intermission.
“Long story short, that’s talent,” forward Zion Williamson said of how Ingram was able to take over the game. “That’s talent mixed with skill. Some of the shots he hit, those were tough shots. Some of them were physical baskets as well. He was able to get to his spots, and was knocking the shots down. That was big-time.”
Ingram’s performance was shades of his NBA playoff debut in 2022, when he carried New Orleans for stretches of a hard-fought first-round defeat vs. No. 1 seed Phoenix. Over those six games, the Duke product averaged 27.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists. His shooting splits were 48/41/83.
Asked if Monday’s game was reminiscent of that Suns matchup, forward Naji Marshall responded, “It just reminded me of day to day, what I see (from him). He’s a killer. Every game we need him to kill like that for us to win. When he does, we’re nine times out of 10 successful.”