The New Orleans Pelicans have pulled off a stunning 125-114 road win over the Phoenix Suns to tie their first-round matchup 1-1 thanks to a 37-point explosion courtesy of Brandon Ingram.
Appearing in just his first playoff series, Ingram finished with a game-high 37 points on 13-of-21 from the field and 3-of-3 from three, to go along with 11 rebounds, a team-high 9 assists, and a game-high +18. It was, without question, one of the most outstanding performances of his career as his team took down the 64-win Suns. He was not alone, however, with his supporting cast also finding ways to produce. C.J. McCollum dropped 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, whilst hitting 6 threes, and Jonas Valančiūnas added a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double. The Pelicans’ bench unit also found meaningful ways to contribute – Larry Nance Jr. had 13 points and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes, whilst Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado shot a combined 5-of-7 from three.
Phoenix, meanwhile, were hampered by the loss of All-Star Devin Booker, who went down with hamstring tightness in the second-half. Booker had 31 points at halftime with an absurd 7 triples. Without him, the Suns struggled to keep up with the Pelicans’ remarkable shot-making as the visitors built an insurmountable lead. Outside of Booker, Mikal Bridges added an efficient 19 points to go along with 6 rebounds, whilst Chris Paul had 17 points and 14 assists on a subpar 33 per cent from the field. JaVale McGee and Cam Johnson combined for 21 points and 7 rebounds off the bench but it was not enough, as New Orleans outscored Phoenix by 16 in the second-half.
The series now shifts to New Orleans, where all eyes will be on the health of Booker. It is difficult seeing a Booker-led Suns outfit drop any more than a game or two to what is a pesky Pelicans team but, if he spends anymore time off the court, the Suns may begin to feel a little antsy. Despite still being without Zion Williamson, the Pelicans’ confidence grows by the day. They survived a gritty Spurs team and hardened Clippers team in the play-in tournament just to make it this far and have now stolen a game on the road from a team that lost just 18 games on the season.
If New Orleans are to pull off one of the all-time upsets, Ingram will need to continue his terrific play. The 24-year-old is averaging 27.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 6.5 apg on 50 per cent from the field and 80 per cent from three over the first two games in Phoenix.
