Missing Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram Gets Vote of Confidence Ahead of Play-In Battle vs Kings

After losing the seventh-seed contest to the LA Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans will host the Sacramento Kings tonight for the eighth-seed battle in the Western Conference Play-In tournament. During the game against the Lakers, Zion Williamson left the court due to a hamstring injury and didn’t return. Moreover, their woes were extended because Brandon Ingram also could not play in the closing minutes of the game.

Ingram left the game with around seven minutes remaining when the Pels were down by nine points. He had shot 4/12 from the floor as he exited and lodged 25 minutes in total. For their elimination game against the Kings, the picture seems mostly grim for the New Orleans fanbase. As per the recent injury reports, Zion Williamson will be out for the game and will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, Brandon Ingram is expected to be available for the do-or-die game against the Kings. Alluding to Ingram’s return, his teammate Larry Nance Jr. had words of admiration and motivation. He reckoned that his top-notch scoring teammate would explode against De’Aaron Fox and Co. despite an off-night against the Lakeshow,

“B is gonna be huge for us. He is gonna be awesome, we have seen it time and time again. BI steps up in big games… He’s a superstar. He’s gonna show us tomorrow,”

“B is gonna be huge for us. He is gonna be awesome, we have seen it time and time again. BI steps up in big games… He’s a superstar. He’s gonna show us tomorrow.”

— Larry Nance Jr on the importance of Brandon Ingram finding his flow next game pic.twitter.com/MZwntHmM0t

— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) April 18, 2024

While Nance Jr. expects a lot from his teammate, before appearing in the regular season finale, BI missed more than three weeks due to a knee injury. This injury had also kept him on minutes restrictions during the Lakers tussle. Thankfully, he is ready to go for the next contest in a win-or-go-home situation. Unfortunately, they won’t have their Ace Zion Williamson.

Larry Nance Jr. called Zion Williamson’s season a success

Williamson was visibly frustrated when he left the game against the Lakers. He threw his towel away and was upset with the circumstances. His gripe is understandable because after being mostly inactive for the past season, he had answered the critiques by playing in 77 games and cutting down 25 pounds during the 2023-24 season.

When his team needed him the most, injuries grappled him again. However, despite the frustrations, Nance Jr. tabbed his teammate’s season a success,

“He had an unbelievable year, just because this happened at this time doesn’t make it not a success. It was a success. My man was healthy, played 77 games, he was awesome. Hopefully, we get to see him again this year. Your heart just hurts for him…It’s unfortunate but back to the team, all you can do is soldier on.”

At any rate, all eyes will be on how the Pelicans respond without their most important player. Brandon Ingram is used to carrying the team but his knee injury has been an impediment. The team will need much more from CJ McCollum, who shot 4/15 in the loss against the Lakers.