The New Orleans Pelicans got themselves in the record books to start a dominant home win over the Indiana Pacers. Brandon Ingram led the way with 19 first-quarter points and no other Pelican missed a shot in the opening frame, equaling a franchise record with 48 points. The 90.9% (20-of-22) shooting success was the highest field goal percentage by any team in a quarter this season. While the Pacers made a run to make the game more competitive, the Pelicans blew the game open again in the third quarter en route to a 129-102 victory.
One particular Ingram play stood out as the nail in the coffin midway through that third quarter. It mimicked greats like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady, with Ingram delivering a dagger self-assisted off-the-backboard dunk that broke Indiana's will to compete.
Rick Carlisle started waving the white flag after the next television timeout. Ingram said in the postgame scrum that the move was off-the-cuff improvising, not something he had envisioned or worked on.
Pelicans' Brandon Ingram on his incredible highlight
“It was instincts,” admitted Ingram. “I saw Myles [Turner] step up. I knew he couldn’t get back in front of me and I’ve seen that play a lot of times – watching highlights and the greats in the league, so it worked out for me tonight. Tonight was fun.”
Willie Green subbed out the Pelicans' 26-year-old All-Star instead of chasing the 40-point mark. Ingram finished with 34 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the comfortable victory. Still, Green had to hype up the hot hand of the night.
“(Brandon Ingram) was incredible,” Green bragged. “With his performance, he set the tone on both ends of the floor, and it was just fun to watch. It was fun to watch him play with that force, that pace, and the confidence that he had on the floor. His teammates all rallied behind him. He was incredible, he set the tone.”
There are levels to this particular dunk. Kobe Bryant famously pulled it off, in Madison Square Garden, leading to Iman Shumpert's hilarious “You had a good game young fella” story. Vince Carter arguably pulled off the best self-assisted slam in an NBA All-Star game. Tracy McGrady had an off-the-backboard dunk in a regular game that mattered and the league's star-laden exhibition. LeBron James pulled it off in the NBA Finals against Steph Curry's Warriors.
Ingram's came in a playoff-level prove-it game for Green and Jonas Valanciunas. New Orleans passed the test and the Pelicans moved into a tie with the Phoenix Suns for fifth place. It was the Duke alum's second straight 30+ point game and 10th 20+ point game since mid-January. Ingram has scored in the double digits in all but three games this season.
With only Dyson Daniels listed on the Pelicans' injury report, and possibly able to return soon, it looks like New Orleans is hitting top gear at the right time. Now hoops fans are just hoping the Big Three of Ingram, Zion Williamson, and CJ McCollum can tackle the NBA Playoffs journey together.
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