The New Orleans Pelicans are currently in the process of trying to secure their spot in the NBA Playoffs and avoid the dreaded Play-In tournament, having had to navigate some rough waters over the course of the last couple of weeks playing without the services of star small forward Brandon Ingram, who has been out of the lineup due to a knee injury recently sustained. The Pelicans currently find themselves in sixth place in the vaunted Western Conference playoff picture but are just a half game ahead of the Phoenix Suns, who occupy the seventh spot and with it the first slot in the Play-In tournament. Needless to say, the Pelicans are nowhere near their best with Ingram out of the lineup.

Thankfully for New Orleans fans, it seems that a return for the former Duke Blue Devil could be on the horizon.

“As far as for the Pelicans, some pretty good news. Brandon Ingram, who has been out since March 21 with a left knee bone contusion, sources told me that he is expected to make his return Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, which will be their final regular season game before the postseason begins, so that's good news for the Pelicans,” reported NBA insider Chris Haynes on TNT's countdown show Inside The NBA, per Pelicans Film Room on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter.

As Haynes mentioned in his report, Sunday will indeed be the last day of the regular season leaguewide, as all thirty teams are set to be in action that day ahead of the postseason, which will begin next Tuesday evening with the first round of Play-In games, which the Pelicans will hope to not be participating in.

How far can the Pelicans go?

The only chance that the Pelicans have of securing themselves a spot in the playoffs without the help of the Play-In tournament will be by holding onto the sixth seed they currently occupy, as they can rise no further than that point with just two games left in the regular season.

In a Western Conference playoff picture full of championship hopefuls including the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Clippers, the Pelicans have been somewhat of an afterthought this year despite having their most successful campaign in a very long time. Star power forward Zion Williamson has enjoyed the healthiest year of his career up to this point, and guard CJ McCollum continues to produce at a solid, if not elite, level.

Of course, New Orleans' chances of really making some noise rise and fall with the health of Ingram, who, as previously mentioned, has been out of the lineup for over two weeks now with the knee ailment. Ingram doesn't necessarily have a storied injury history, but considering his wiry frame, it's easy to see why a bone bruise could be some cause for concern.

In any case, the Pelicans will play one of their final road games of the season on Thursday night vs the Sacramento Kings.