Brandon Ingram Praised After Near Triple-Double in Pelicans' Win vs. Suns in Game 2

Tim Daniels @@TimDanielsBRFeatured Columnist IVApril 20, 2022

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) dries as Phoenix Suns guard Cameron Payne (15) defends during the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 19, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

AP Photo/Matt York

Brandon Ingram poured in 37 points, including 26 in the second half, to help the New Orleans Pelicans score a 125-114 road win over the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

Ingram knocked down 13 of his 21 shots from the field and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line as the Pelicans leveled the series, 1-1. He also tallied 11 rebounds, nine assists, one block and one steal in 39 minutes.

The 24-year-old Duke product opted to shed light on the team-wide effort rather than his own standout performance after the win.

"Everything was flowing," Ingram told reporters. "Everybody was effective on the floor, all five. All five made something happen, whether it was offensively or defensively. We were really connected today."

Since he wasn't willing to do it himself, Pelicans head coach Willie Green was among those to heap praise on the 6'8'' forward.

"This is one of his best and it was on a big stage," Green said. "I'm proud of that young man. He works his tail off, he's a great teammate, high character, high IQ and he put it on display tonight."

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Here's a look at more reaction to Ingram's outing:

New Orleans Pelicans @PelicansNBA
"I will keep sayin' it: Win or loss, I think Brandon Ingram is the best player on the court," - <a href="https://twitter.com/Larrydn22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Larrydn22</a> <a href="https://t.co/ftypBJwBkD">pic.twitter.com/ftypBJwBkD</a>

Will Guillory @WillGuillory
Willie Green said there was a point in the 4th quarter where he stopped calling plays and let Brandon Ingram run the offense. Said he had to sit back and let BI cook.

Bally Sports New Orleans @BallySportsNO
Charles Barkley: The Pelicans are going to get swept by the Suns. Brandon Ingram: <a href="https://t.co/OaDsWOXw6p">pic.twitter.com/OaDsWOXw6p</a>

Kendrick Perkins @KendrickPerkins
I must say I’m beyond impressed with Brandon Ingram tonight! I know his stat line was 37-11-9 but it was the other things to me. The young man was poised and most importantly a LEADER. Real Talk!

matt @sponhourm
Felt more like a Brandon Ingram take over than a Suns collapse tonight

Duane Rankin @DuaneRankin
"It ain't easy, it ain't easy." Mikal Bridges on guarding Brandon Ingram, who scored 37. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Suns?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Suns</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pelicans?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pelicans</a> <a href="https://t.co/wYxIosVtz6">pic.twitter.com/wYxIosVtz6</a>

Festus Ezeli @FestusEzeli
I know Lakers won a bubble chip but Everytime i see Brandon Ingram hoop i can’t help but think how much of a mistake it was to trade him

CJ McCollum added 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for New Orleans, while Devin Booker paced Phoenix with 31 points in 25 minutes before leaving with a hamstring injury.

The Suns posted the best record in the NBA during the regular season at 64-18, while the Pelicans needed to survive the Western Conference play-in tournament to make the playoff field. Tuesday's game showed Ingram and Co. won't be a pushover, though.

Oleh Kosel 🇺🇦 @OlehKosel
Brandon Ingram on the atmosphere he expects to see in the Smoothie King Center on Friday for game 3: "Man, the shit gonna be crazy. Crazy. Our fans have helped us a lot throughout this season and especially seeing those fans in the play-in game, it shows how much they love us."

Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Tip off is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.