Brandon Ingram’s big, determined game propelled the Pelicans into the semifinals in Las Vegas

Brandon Ingram thought his best offensive strategy during the second half of Monday’s In-Season quarterfinals was to drive to the basket, but there was a problem. Sacramento defenders were skillfully ramming him and checking the 190-pound forward as he dribbled, a defensive tactic that usually leads to quick foul calls. However, on this night, with these single-elimination bets and postseason-like conditions, that wasn’t happening. Ingram decided to take a slightly different approach, before returning to his initial game plan. The results were great.

Ingram overcame the Kings’ stout defense and scored 17 points in the second half. He scored 30 points in the game, leading New Orleans to a 127-117 victory, and the Pelicans qualified for the semifinals on Thursday in Las Vegas. When Sacramento got physical, the 6-foot-8 Ingram rose above defenders, shooting 3/6 from three-point range. He went 10/20 from the field and eventually held 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 stay aggressive,” Ingram said afterward of his offensive focus. “The whistle didn’t go tonight (due to Sacramento’s defensive fouls), so I had to control it, try to get the best shot on the floor, get to the basket, get to my spot. The three-ball was falling tonight. My teammates did a very good job on Both offensively and defensively, they increased the pace of play and rebounded the ball.”

New Orleans (12-10) led throughout the entire second half, but Sacramento (11-8) kept making little runs to tighten the score and spark a gold medal-high in the playoffs. Ingram’s 12 points in the third quarter brought the Kings back on several occasions. His lone three-pointer of the second half bounced high off the rim, then slowly fell through the net, shrinking the crowd.

“BI was great,” third-year 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 player.”

“He won the game for us,” goalkeeper Jose Alvarado said. “He was the leader he was supposed to be. So he walked 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 seal the victory. He was at 11/6 from the field after the break.

“Long story, that’s talent,” forward Zion Williamson said of how Ingram was able to control the game. “That’s talent mixed with skill. Some of the shots he made were tough. Some of them were physical baskets as well. He was able to get into his spots, and he was shooting. That was big time.”

Ingram’s performance was a shade of his NBA playoff debut in 2022, when he held New Orleans to stretches of a narrow first-round loss to No. 1 seed Phoenix. Over those six games, the Duke product averaged 27.0 points and 6 2 rebounds and 6.2 assists. His shooting splits were 48/41/83.

Asked if Monday’s game was reminiscent of the Suns game, forward Najee Marshall responded: “It reminds me of that day in and day out, what I see (from him).” He’s a killer. In every match we need him to kill like this in order for us to win. “When he does that, we are successful nine times out of 10.”