Brandon Ingram’s Triple-Double Fuels Pelicans Over Hornets

Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans, NBA News
NBA Analysis Network

During the Thursday night NBA slate, Brandon Ingram had a triple-double as the New Orleans Pelicans defeated Charlotte Hornets 115-96. It was the first of his NBA career, finishing with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

At the end of the third quarter, Ingram collected three consecutive rebounds to reach double figures. With 36 seconds left in the third, he made a 20-foot jumper and a free throw to put New Orleans up 88-79. A 11-5 run by the Pelicans in the last quarter sealed the victory.

“I just wanted to set the tone,” Ingram said. “These games are important for us to be in the postseason. I’m just thinking that every possession counts on offense and defense, and I had to have a sense of urgency.”

It didn’t occur to Pelicans coach Willie Green that Ingram was close to recording his first triple-double. Despite missing 37 games due to a sore toe and a concussion, Ingram managed to achieve this feat.

“I think it speaks to his maturity throughout this process,” Green said. “He understands that he’s going to have the ball in his hands at times. He’s doing a great job of setting the tone, which is just (being a) point-5, passing to his teammates and getting guys open. His rebounding has been huge for us. He’s doing that – and then we all know he can score at any moment.

“So on all three levels tonight, he was fantastic.”

NBA NEWS & SCORES: Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans & Charlotte Hornets Updates

For his 38th double-double of the season, Jonas Valanciunas scored 20 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead the Pelicans to their third straight victory. Aside from CJ McCollum’s 20 points, a combined 35 points were scored from Trey Murphy (19) and Naji Marshall (16).

There wasn’t a strong standout performance from the Hornets that resembled a superstar with LaMelo Ball sidelined. PJ Washington scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half for the Hornets. Svi Mykhailiuk scored 15 points and Gordon Hayward added 12 points.

Heading into halftime, the Hornets shot 24-45 (53.3 percent) from the floor. After scoring 8 points in 12 minutes in the second quarter, Kelly Oubre left the game with a right shoulder strain. A sore right foot caused Terry Rozier to leave after scoring five points. Only seven healthy Hornets remained in the fourth quarter.

“The hard thing was it’s hard to not play without Gordon – and he can’t play every minute,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “That kind of hurt us and we got disorganized, and frankly we made some mistakes.”

New Orleans opened a 37-24 lead after Ingram’s first-quarter blitz, but the Hornets cut the deficit to 62-57 by halftime after an impressive 33-25 second quarter. The first half of the game saw Ingram score 19 points and dish out nine assists.

In the second half, the Pelicans held the Hornets to 39 points. During the Pelicans’ four-game road trip, Ingram said he’s grateful that his revitalized play is coming at the perfect time.

NBA NEWS & SCORES: Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans & Charlotte Hornets Updates

“I’m grateful to be out here playing with my teammates, having a chance to be on the floor every single day now in practice,” Ingram said. “I don’t take it for granted. Going those 30 games without being on the floor, you try to find ways to stay with the team, try to find ways to stay positive. And this is not always easy. So being on the floor now, I just I’m super excited and happy.”

The Pelicans begin a four-game road trip on Saturday when they take on the LA Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. On Friday night, the Hornets will face the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center.

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