Brandon Ingram leads Pelicans to win over Clippers, secures No. 8 seed

On Friday night, the New Orleans Pelicans won against the Los Angeles Clippers 105-101 and earned the No. 8 seed. This victory was secured with the help of Brandon Ingram, a franchise player out for the season, who scored 30 points.

Even though they fell behind by as many as 13 points, the squad returned to defeat the Clippers 105-101 in the last frame of play. After this victory, the Pelicans will meet the No. 1 Seed in Western Conference, Phoenix Suns, in the NBA playoffs.

Coach Willie Green of the Pelicans commented, "That win was big-time."

Due to the league's health and safety protocols, Paul George was ineligible to participate in the game. Clippers made sure to use this chance to make a run after falling behind by two digits to the Pelicans. While it was a good effort, it was not enough to push out New Orleans to victory.

In light of their expectations after signing George and Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers' season has come to a close disappointingly.

Ingram' contributions

The Pelicans get their first points of the game from Ingram in the first 90 seconds of play, and he did it again a few possessions later. On his way to an impressive 30-point, six-rebounds, six-assists effort, he tallied 16 points in the first quarter alone.

"Man it feels wonderful," Ingram said. "Just to have a chance to be in the postseason this year. Never had a winning record, never been in the postseason. To get a chance to showcase my talent on the biggest stage is beautiful."

Ingram and the team went cold after they blew a 16-point lead away in the second half. After being smothered by Nic Batum in the third, Ingram found his groove in the fourth. He had seven of his 30 points in the fourth as the Pelicans recovered.

With Zion Williamson not playing, Ingram had to do a lot of the offensive end work, which hasn't been easy for him.

Key takeaways from the game

During the first half, New Orleans lost a 16-point lead, and they didn't take the lead for good until the game's last 4 1/2 minutes.

"It was an emotional game, a ton of highs and lows," Green said. "But for us, our mentality is we're going to continue to fight. We're not going to fade out."

Larry Nance Jr. led New Orleans with 14 points and 16 rebounds, and CJ McCollum added 19 more points.

Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson each scored 27 points for the Clippers. The Pelicans shot 57% in the first half, and the Clippers reduced their deficit to 56-46 at halftime.

The Clippers have risen by 38 points in the third quarter. They blew the audience away with a 20-2 run. Jackson had 10 points and Morris 6.

In place of Ivica Zubac, Robert Covington made a three-point play to give the Clippers a 75-62 lead.

Ingram helped the Pelicans score five of the team's final points, leading them into the fourth trailing 84-74.

Following a 13-point lead by the Clippers, the Pelicans scored 11 straight points before McCollum made a 3-pointer to tie the game at 88-all. Murphy scored his second 3-pointer of the quarter, tying the game at 94. The Pelicans embarked on a 10-0 run, highlighted by Murphy's 3-pointer that landed on the rim and went in.

In the last 1:17, they came within two points, but they missed two of four free throws, and Jackson and Morris both missed shots to see their season ended.