On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers went toe-to-toe with the defending champs. In the loss, Brandon Ingram really shined.
Despite the Los Angeles Lakers being in a tough stretch right now, they were able to come out and play one of their best games of the season against the Golden State Warriors. Even though the Warriors have been a bit banged up lately, the Lakers faced them at full strength on Wednesday night.
In the high-scoring matchup, the game eventually went into overtime, where the Warriors were able to get the job done. However, there were a lot of positives to take away from the game. Arguably the biggest was the performance of Brandon Ingram.
While being matched up with Kevin Durant for a good part of the night, Ingram was able to have one of the best games of his career. In the loss, Ingram totaled a career-high 32 points on 12-for-21 shooting.
After the game, Lakers head coach Luke Walton praised Ingram for his great game. Here’s what Walton had to say to Corey Hansford of LakersNation.com.
"“The confidence in himself, to be able to go against K.D., who not only is one of the top offensive players in the league but he’s tough to score on. Brandon was up for the challenge and made some tough shots.”"
Out of college, Ingram drew a lot of comparisons to Durant. Due to their tall and lanky frames, you can certainly understand those comparisons. On Wednesday, it really looked like Ingram was trying to make a statement.
With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the Lakers did turn to Ingram for a chance to win the game in regulation. On a drive to the basket, Ingram was unable to finish, but there was a lot contact from Klay Thompson, who was pushing Ingram around his hip area.
Next: 3 Takeaways from loss to Warriors
Even though the Lakers and Ingram were unable to secure the win, this could end up being a game we look back on. Ingram played like he belonged against the Warriors, and he flashed that unlimited potential that the Lakers believe he has. The Lakers’ next game will be on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets. It will be interesting to see if Ingram can carry over the strong game against the Warriors into the games to come.