Brandon Ingram admits things haven’t been easy since his knee bent awkwardly during that road game in Orlando, Florida, back on March 21.
There was rehab from the bone contusion, and Ingram had to sit and watch the New Orleans Pelicans play without him.
“I was out for three weeks, and just watching and trying to stay disciplined is hard,” Ingram said. "Trying to stay disciplined and trying to stay locked in knowing I wanted to be on the floor.”
When he did return to the floor in a pair of losses last week to the Los Angeles Lakers, that didn’t go so well, either.
He scored 13 points in the regular-season finale against his former team last Sunday, then just 11 points two days later in the play-in game when he sat the final seven minutes.
You could see the frustration on his face as he walked out of the Smoothie King Center on Tuesday night.
Three night later, Ingram walked back into the same building and made sure the Pelicans' season didn’t come to an end. He led the way in the do-or-die play-in game against the Sacramento Kings for the No. 8 playoff spot, delivering 24 points, six rebounds and six assists in the 105-98 victory.
“I know how important this was for not only me but this whole organization,” Ingram said.
Pelicans coach Wille Green left the court Friday night pumping his fist, which tells you all you need to know about how important this win was. Green typically doesn’t show a lot of emotion.
But this was as much of a must-win game as the Pelicans have had since he took over as head coach.
Everything the Pelicans had accomplished in a 49-win regular season would have gone down the drain if they failed to make the playoffs. Especially considering just 26 days ago the Pelicans sat in fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
The Pelicans avoided what would have been an epic collapse.
They had to do so without Zion Williamson, who injured his hamstring three nights earlier. And they had to do it on their home court, where they had lost six games in a row.
Now they are guaranteed to play at least two more games at the Smoothie King Center when they host Games 3 and 4 against the Thunder on Saturday and April 29.
“This win gave us momentum, gave us confidence, gave us swag back,” Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas said. “It’s been tough the last couple games. We can go with a clear mind to OKC and fight.”
How long the series against OKC lasts could depend on how far Ingram can carry the Pelicans on his slender shoulders.
“He had that look in his eye from the time he got to the gym after the loss to the Lakers,” Green said. “This is a moment that he wanted. He wanted a moment he could step in and help the team win a big-time game, especially after a couple games where he didn’t play up to par.”
Ingram will need to carry that same mindset against the Thunder if the Pelicans have any chance of getting to the second round, something they haven’t done since sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2017-18 season.
It would also help if they get the type of production off the bench they got Friday night from Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall and Larry Nance Jr. The Pelicans’ depth is a big part of why they were so successful this season.
But in the playoffs, you need a superstar to lead the way and Ingram is the team’s best bet.
“The good thing going into the playoffs is we’ve had a lot of tests, with me in the lineup and without me in the lineup,” Ingram said. “We’ll be prepared. We know every possession counts. We know what we have to do on the defensive end. This is a time for us to be extra locked in on everything we need to do. The margin of error is low without Zion.”
The Pelicans went 1-2 against the Thunder this season, with the road team winning all three games. It’s the second time in three seasons the Pels enter the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. Two years ago, they took the Phoenix Suns to six games in the first round.
Ingram averaged 27 points and six rebounds in that series, the only playoff series he’s participated in during his eight-year NBA career.
“He is a leader for us and we follow his lead,” Nance said. “Every single game, I tell him to be the best player on the court and tonight I believe he was the best player on the court.”
He’ll need to be the best player on the court, or at least one of them, for the Pelicans to have any chance against the Thunder. And that’s what he plans to do.
When asked what he wants to show in the second playoff series of his career, he had this to say: “Everything I’ve got.”
The Pels will need it.