The New Orleans Pelicans pulled off a sensational Game 2 win over the Phoenix Suns. Even though the Suns lost their star, Devin Booker, to a hamstring injury, they were down at the time Book got injured and stood no chance of coming back without him.
Brandon Ingram was the star of the game, having 37 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists on the night as the Pelicans went snatched a win on the Suns’ home court. WIth Booker being ruled out for 3-4 weeks, Phoenix needs to pull this off against a Pelicans team that is surging at the right time.
After the injury to Booker and the star-making performance by Ingram, Kendrick Perkins said that he will take the Pelicans to pull off a historic 8th seed-1st seed upset in seven games.
.@KendrickPerkins is picking the Pelicans to upset the Suns in 7 games 😳
“When you look at Brandon Ingram he gives me those Kevin Durant vibes. … to me he’s ready for this moment … and that’s why I got the Pelicans winning this.” pic.twitter.com/arA9FpLBrR
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 20, 2022
“I said real talk. When you look at Brandon Ingram, he gives me Kevin Durant vibes. His length, his athleticism, the way he’s able to put the ball on the floor and get to his spots, his mid-range jump shot, getting to the hoop, and getting his teammates in a position to succeed. Willie Green said ‘i didn’t call plays at a period of time because I wanted Brandon Ingram to cook’. That’s not because of him scoring the ball, but that was him throwing lobs and finding guys on time, on target. His body language says it all. It’s his first time in the post-season and he didn’t get rattled. He was embracing that moment. To me, he’s ready for this moment and he’s the best player in the series with Devin Booker being out. That’s why I have Pelicans winning this, but it going seven.”
While Ingram’s arrival is undoubted, it may be a little presumptuous to count out Chris Paul and the rest of the Suns. They were the best team in the regular season by a good margin and have the depth to pull a win off.
If Ingram can pull this off, he will be remembered for spearheading one of the biggest upsets in recent playoff history. Whether the Pelicans could beat the Dallas Mavericks or Utah Jazz in the next round is something we will have to see, but the Pels first need to carry their momentum to beat the Suns first.
