New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram suffered a bone contusion in his left knee and is expected to miss at least two weeks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The eight-year veteran exited early during the second half of Thursday night’s 121-106 loss to the Orlando Magic. He was defending Jalen Suggs on the perimeter when Suggs drove to the basket and made contact.
Ingram’s left knee bent at an awkward angle, and he then crumpled to the floor in pain. Teammates and training staff helped him off the court. His MRI results came back clean Friday morning.
Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram has suffered a bone contusion in his left knee. Fortunate diagnosis for New Orleans and its star forward avoiding serious injury, but Ingram is expected to miss at least two weeks. pic.twitter.com/zw4ceRpKe8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 22, 2024
Since Ingram is set to be re-evaluated in two weeks, he could return within 15 days before the start of the first round of the NBA playoffs on April 20. Most bone bruises heal in 2-4 weeks, per the Mayo Clinic.
Per multiple NBA betting sites, the Pelicans hold 15th-ranked odds to win the championship. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers.
New Orleans Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 41 points against Toronto Raptors
The play-in tournament runs from Tuesday, April 16 through Friday, April 19. The conference semifinals are scheduled to begin May 6-7 and the conference finals are set to start May 21-22.
The 2020 All-Star has missed just six games this season. Through 63 games (all starts), he’s averaging 20.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 33 minutes while shooting 49% from the floor and 35.6% from 3-point range.
In New Orleans’ 138-100 win over the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 5, the forward recorded a season-high 41 points, six rebounds, nine assists, and a block in 29 minutes of action.
BRANDON INGRAM JUST HIT 5 3-POINTERS IN A ROW 🤯
41 PTS (20 in the 3Q) 🔥
Pelicans-Raptors | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/lwwRWydKWY pic.twitter.com/B2zYxYNrgD— NBA (@NBA) February 6, 2024
With only 13 games left of the regular season, the Pelicans are 42-27 and rank fifth in the Western Conference standings. New Orleans trails the No. 4-seeded Clippers (43-25) by 1 1/2 games.
The Pelicans are ahead of the No. 6-seeded Dallas Mavericks (41-29) and No. 7-seeded Phoenix Suns (41-29) by 1 1/2 games as well. New Orleans plays the Suns two more times on Monday, April 1 and Sunday, April 7.
The Pelicans visit the Miami Heat on Friday.
