From a nearly identical angle, Brandon Ingram had a potential game-winning shot against the Utah Jazz for the second time during the 2019-20 season. The one in January went in, but this time, the attempt rattled out. As a result, New Orleans sustained a difficult loss in the first of eight seeding games, after building a 16-point lead in the second quarter. Utah roared back in the fourth period, holding a 27-17 edge.
“It looked like a good shot,” Ingram said of his narrowly-missed three-point attempt from the right wing. “It’s a shot I’ve been working on.” Ingram was disappointed in he and his team’s defense in the final minutes, saying that avoiding those mistakes would’ve meant Thursday’s game would not have come down to a single shot.
After recently returning to the Orlando campus, Zion Williamson was eased back into the starting lineup, logging 15 minutes of playing time. He scored 13 points on 6/8 shooting from the field.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Ingram’s three try would not go down at the buzzer, allowing Utah to prevail. The Jazz took their two-point lead with 6 seconds left, when below-average foul shooter Rudy Gobert sank two clutch free throws. Pelicans center Derrick Favors gave a good foul with Gobert right at the rim, but Gobert managed to go 2/2 at the stripe in a crucial spot.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
At halftime on TNT, analyst Kenny Smith noted that “the improvements (Ingram) has made as a player are astronomical.” Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant tweeted, in reference to Ingram’s uniform number, that “#14 is a different breed.” Ingram dominated stretches of the opening half en route to 15 points on 6/11 shooting. He pierced Utah’s defense with driving layups and scores, nailed pull-up threes and wowed with a turnaround mid-range jumper over tough defender Royce O’Neale. Ingram finished with a team-best 23 points, going 6/7 at the foul line in the second half.
BY THE NUMBERS
20: Turnovers for both teams, a costly category for New Orleans, especially in the second half.
8/34: Utah three-point shooting. The Jazz were able to overcome that by shooting well on twos, as well as at the foul line, going 24/28.
42-27: New Orleans bench scoring advantage. Jazz reserve Jordan Clarkson provided 23 vital points, while JJ Redick paced Pelicans subs with 21.
