Pelicans' Brandon Ingram Out At Least 2 Weeks After Suffering Knee Injury vs. Magic

New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram will be out for at least two weeks due to a left knee injury suffered against the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

Early in the third quarter, Ingram appeared to injure his knee while defending a drive by Magic guard Jalen Suggs. He required help from his teammates as he went back to the locker room before he was later ruled out.

Prior to his exit, Ingram recorded 14 points and four rebounds while connecting on seven of his 12 shot attempts.

While the full extent of his injury is unknown, losing the former All-Star for a lengthy period of time would be costly for a Pelicans team that is fighting for positioning in the Western Conference playoff picture.

After Thursday's defeat, New Orleans owns the No. 5 seed in the conference with a record of 42-27. The team holds a two-game lead over the No. 7 seed in the West, as the Pelicans attempt to avoid falling into the play-in tournament.

Although Ingram has dealt with a string of injuries throughout his time in New Orleans, he's been relatively healthy during the 2023-24 season. He was on track to appear in more than 70 games for the first time since his rookie season before Thursday.

The Pelicans have dealt with injuries to Ingram as well as Zion Williamson in recent years, with Williamson missing the final 45 games of the 2022-23 season due to a hamstring injury. The team will certainly be hoping that Ingram's knee issue isn't as serious.

The 26-year-old's scoring totals dropped a bit during his 2023-24 campaign, although his improved playmaking was a welcome sight for New Orleans. In 62 starts prior to Thursday night, Ingram averaged 21.0 points and 5.8 assists per game on 48.9/35.7/80.1 shooting splits.

In his absence, the Pelicans will likely insert sharpshooting forward Trey Murphy III into the starting lineup to replace his minutes.