Pelicans' Brandon Ingram Ruled Out Because of Ankle Injury vs. Luka Dončić, Mavs

New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram has officially been ruled out for the remainder of Wednesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks with a right ankle sprain.

Ingram exited after notching 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 18 minutes.

If Ingram misses an extended period of time, it would be a significant blow for the Pelicans, who are also expected to be without Zion Williamson for another two weeks with a right hamstring strain.

Ingram has missed 35 games this season due to injuries, including a 29-game stretch from Nov. 28 through Jan. 24 because of a toe ailment. He recently admitted to The Athletic's William Guillory that the two months he was sidelined with that injury were challenging:

"It was hard. There were certain days when it felt like I had to fight just to be there mentally for my teammates and for myself. I had to fight just to keep a smile on my face so they wouldn't see me down. I'm a person that believes everything happens for a reason. So, I just tried to dig deep, real deep down and get myself out of that dark place. I learned a lot about myself during that time."

When healthy, Ingram has been impressive this season, averaging 23.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 30 games while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from deep.

With Ingram sidelined, Dyson Daniels and Trey Murphy III figure to see more playing time.

New Orleans entered Wednesday's game 10th in the Western Conference with a 31-34 record, just 2.5 games back of the No. 6 seed and a guaranteed spot in the postseason.