The very first possession of the match would set the tone. Brandon Ingram fought at the post with Lu Dort to be served. Once the ball was in hand, with a few seconds remaining on the possession, the Pelicans winger sent a very complicated 45° shot. The fault of the OKC defender, stuck to him throughout.
This first missed shot was the first of a long series for the NOLA player, expected in attack to compensate for the absence of Zion Williamson. “ It was definitely more physical. I think…Lu Dort did a good job putting his hands and body in opposition to me “, delivers the winger with his characteristic calm.
The player opposite spent his evening harassing him, contesting his movements and his shots, making his bull physique speak for himself. A performance worthy of a player “ best defensive five » of the league, judges his teammate Jalen Williams.
“(Sleeps) was on the spot, he was really on the spot. He really disrupted the game. I think Dub (Jalen Williams) did a very good job on Ingram. Kenrich (Williams) did a good job on Ingram. Wallace did a good job on McCollum », Lists Mark Daigneault.
No free throws to compensate
His counterpart Willie Green was also able to witness of the physical impact of the Thunder. But to hear the Pelicans coach, Brandon Ingram must do better: “ He must continue to play despite this. It's not about what we have to do to free BI, it's going to be playoff basketball, he has to continue playing despite that. Show competitive spirit, go a little more to the free throw line… »
This night, his player only got two shots. Very insufficient to increase a quota of points blocked at only 12 units, with a very mediocre 5/17 on shots (including 0/2 from distance) in the game, supplemented by 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 37 minutes. “ It's going to be like this, we're physical with them, they're physical with us. It's part of the game, playoff basketball », Explains his coach again.
The 26-year-old, who was only playing his 7th career playoff game, recalls having already faced Lu Dort and Oklahoma City on numerous occasions. “ I've had a lot of success, so it won't be the first time », Judges the one who had already been limited to 12 points last January during his only clash with OKC of the season. A year earlier, however, he had scored 34 points against the same opponent.
“ I have to keep shooting, I'm not here by chance. History is already written “, formulates Brandon Ingram, “ encouraged » by this narrow defeat of two points, despite several individual poor performances among the Pelicans, including his own. Game 2? “ We will be ready, I will be ready. »
| Brandon Ingram | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | LAL | 79 | 29 | 40.2 | 29.4 | 62.1 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 9.4 |
| 2017-18 | LAL | 59 | 34 | 47.0 | 39.0 | 68.1 | 1.0 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 16.1 |
| 2018-19 | LAL | 52 | 34 | 49.7 | 33.0 | 67.5 | 0.8 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 18.3 |
| 2019-20 | NOP | 62 | 34 | 46.3 | 39.1 | 85.1 | 0.8 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 4.2 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 23.8 |
| 2020-21 | NOP | 61 | 34 | 46.6 | 38.1 | 87.8 | 0.6 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 23.8 |
| 2021-22 | NOP | 55 | 34 | 46.1 | 32.7 | 82.6 | 0.6 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 22.7 |
| 2022-23 | NOP | 45 | 34 | 48.4 | 39.0 | 88.2 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 24.7 |
| 2023-24 | NOP | 64 | 33 | 49.2 | 35.5 | 80.1 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 20.8 |
| Total | 477 | 33 | 46.8 | 36.2 | 78.6 | 0.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 19.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
