Los Angeles Lakers small forward Brandon Ingram had a strong bounce-back game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after a poor performance against the New York Knicks in their last game.
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a hard-fought defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. The loss was a second in a row for the Lakers, who ended their road trip on a low note. However, Brandon Ingram was a bright spot in the loss.
Ingram has improved across the board in his second season. After a rocky rookie season, Ingram is finally beginning to show the signs and potential that made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Against the New York Knicks earlier in the week, Ingram had a game reminiscent of his rookie campaign.
Against the Knicks, Ingram scored only five points. It was his lowest scoring output of the season, and his 2-of-12 from the field was his worst shooting performance of the season. He didn’t make his first shot until late in the third quarter against New York.
That type of performance can get a young player down, and it looked like it would carry over into the game against the Cavaliers. Ingram started the game cold once again, missing his first shot and tone of his first two free throws. After that, however, Ingram got into the zone.
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Ingram would score five points in the first quarter against the Cavaliers and pick things up as the game went on. He followed that up with a nine-point second quarter as his teammates found him for easy baskets.
In the third quarter, Ingram did all he could to keep the Lakers in the game. With their turnovers mounting, the Cavaliers looked ready to blow the game open. Ingram did not allow that to happen, as he scored at will against the Cavaliers.
Ingram scored 12 of the Lakers 26 points in the third quarter to keep the team afloat. Ingram didn’t score in the fourth quarter, as he took only one shot.
After what he did in the first three-quarters of the game, it was disappointing the Lakers didn’t try to get him more looks in the final quarter. The game could have turned out differently had he received some more shots in crunch time.
Overall, Ingram finished the game with a team-high 26 points. It was done efficiently, as Ingram shot 10-of-15 from the field. He was an impressive 3-of-4 from beyond the 3-point line and made 3-of-4 foul shots as well.
In addition to the solid scoring game, Ingram pulled down six rebounds and handed out six assists. He rounded out his stat line with one steal and only two turnovers for a solid all-around game.
Next: Lakers vs Cavaliers Recap and Highlights
Ingram will look to keep the momentum going when the Lakers next take the court on Monday night. They will be in for a stiff test as they will be hosting the Golden State Warriors at the STAPLES Center. Ingram will be looking to build not only off this game, but his career-high 32 points in scored against them at Oracle Arena earlier in the season.