The New Orleans Pelicans will be without injured star forward Brandon Ingram for at least two weeks as they fight for an NBA playoff berth, the team said on Friday.
Ingram underwent an MRI exam after hyperextending his left knee during the third quarter of Thursday’s 121-106 loss at Orlando.
Results of the exam showed a left knee bone bruise and the 26-year-old American will be reevaluated in two weeks, the Pelicans announced.
It means the Pelicans, 42-27 and fifth in the Western Conference, will be without their number two scorer and top assists provider during a critical late-season stretch.
Ingram, who is averaging 20.9 points, 5.8 assists and 5.1 rebounds a game, will miss at least seven of the Pelicans’ final 13 regular-season games.
That includes contests against top contenders Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Boston and Phoenix.
His earliest expected return would be an April 5 home game against San Antonio.
The Pelicans are 1.5 games ahead of Dallas and Phoenix and two games in front of Sacramento in the fight for the last two playoff positions and the top two play-in spots.
