The New Orleans Pelicans tied the series up at two with a win over the Suns, 118-103 behind Brandon Ingram who had 30 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Ingram has found another level in the playoffs, averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and five assists over the four games, while becoming the first Pels’ player to ever hit 30 three games in a row in the playoffs.
Brandon Ingram is the first Pelicans player in franchise history with three consecutive 30 point games in the playoffs.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 25, 2022
(h/t @ESPNStatsInfo)
Like game two, Ingram started hot and scored 11 points in the first quarter, which has been a theme in their two wins. Brandon Ingram needs to explode in the first quarter to set the tempo for the rest of the game. He did slow down in the second quarter and finished the first half with 14 points, but it was only setting up for a monstrous third quarter.
Brandon Ingram must have drunk Michael’s Secret Stuff from Space Jam because he had an amazing 3rd quarter, starting with hitting his first three shots. The Pelicans outscored the Suns 35-23 in the third quarter and Brandon Ingram had 16 points to bring his total to 30 for the night.
The supporting cast did the rest, as Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double with 26 points and 15 rebounds, Jose Alvarado had two steals and was in Chris Paul’s face all night and Herb Jones had three blocks, all three of them coming on three point attempts.
The young rookies played amazing defense all night long and were not afraid of the big stage. Postgame Brandon Ingram said,
"“Herb and Jose did a really really good job on just coming in and being physical…and everyone just followed along.”"
Brandon Ingram has stepped up in his first career appearance in the playoffs, showing he can be the best player on the floor and help his team go toe-to-toe with the number one regular-season team in the NBA.