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Brandon Ingram · Among the few healthy bodies on a team bruised and banged-up to a degree that even his 12-year veteran teammate couldn’t explain, Brandon Ingram’s best approach towards keeping New Orleans’ ship afloat was anyone’s guess on November 15, 2024. Seldom one to play within the confines of a new-school shot diet, Ingram, though, picked a most ironic method for stability: off-balanced, contested midrange buckets, one after another. An immediate matchup problem for any light-jerseyed Denver Nuggets defender roaming Smoothie King Arena, Ingram preserved one of his most noteworthy sequences for a game-clinching scenario, bringing Peyton Watson first towards the perimeter in isolation. Working a deceptive pump-and-pivot that unfortunately invites an even more troubling conundrum — Dario Šarić’s double team — Ingram, as cool as ever, merely backtracks into a heavy-traffic fadeaway score, all but securing victory. In producing a highlight reel that featured similar buckets throughout, the New Orleans Pelicans’ former All-Star was incredible, tossing in 29 points (on 12-of-26 shooting), nine rebounds, seven assists, three 3-pointers, and a game-high +18 plus-minus. · State of Mint