Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons in Ingram/Zion beatdown against Pelicans
By Ronald Agers
![Mar 23, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) dribbles against Los Angeles Lakers center Montrezl Harrell (15) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports Mar 23, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) dribbles against Los Angeles Lakers center Montrezl Harrell (15) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/424b16d24f4ca4be4609f0c7e7e79d7acde14ac930088d53a77d3058559a2875.jpg)
Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson sent limos for the Los Angeles Lakers!
They say a picture says a thousand words. Lake Show life has some thoughts on what this conversation is all about. Which caption is your favorite?
- Man…things are really hard without LeBron in the lineup.
- Anthony Davis was really a good defensive player. We sure could use him being down 30!
- When are we going to get a decent replacement for Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee?
- Can you believe Josh Hart got 15 rebounds in this game?
- HELP!!!! Somebody HELP!!!!!
- Man that Zion dude…
- So we traded Brandon Ingram for Anthony Davis huh? (All the while thinking…Could it have been Kyle Kuzma?).
Brandon Ingram stole the show and just embarrassed the Lakers. Time to call it like it is. It’s not a mistake that he was included in the Anthony Davis trade because he was the centerpiece in the deal and the Pelicans weren’t going to deal without him. However, it’s going to be a rough couple of days for the only surviving member of the “Young Core” in Kyle Kuzma.
Get used to the…“Why didn’t we trade Kyle Kuzma to New Orleans instead of BI” chants for the next 48 hours.
Brandon Ingram:
Man Brandon Ingram gave the Lakers the business.
BI (36 PTS) couldn’t be stopped tonight 😤 pic.twitter.com/fTsCzRVAgF
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 24, 2021
Brandon Ingram scored 36 points (14-21 shooting… 4-6 shooting from 3 point land!) with 3 rebounds and 4 assists. He took this game personal and made his former team pay. This is exactly what Anthony Davis did to his old team seemingly every time he faced the Pels.
But what he did outplaying Kyle Kuzma was the story. They will always be linked and the debate of who the better player is will be an ongoing discussion for years. Kuzma got knocked out in this round.
Zion Williamson:
The Los Angeles Lakers got bullied by everyone on the Pelicans frontline. But to watch Zion Williamson work them over put the Lake Show Life staff in shock…seriously.
Gotta box out Zion 😤 pic.twitter.com/UBoXuXAtQf
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 24, 2021
Zion had an absurd +25 plus/minus ratio and collected 27points (9-13 shooting!), 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Lakers tried to bait (Also read: Pray!) Zion into shooting jumpers and he just wouldn’t do it. He just attacked the basket and if he didn’t score, he got to the free throw line. Then he shot 9-10 from there.
Zion Williamson now has 21 straight 20-point games, passing Luka Doncic and LeBron James for the most consecutive 20-point games before turning 21 in NBA history. His shooting efficiency is off the charts at 18-26 from the field in the last two games.
Brandon Ingram had the rhythm and Zion Williamson had the power.
With the lineup concepts Frank Vogel is trying to employ, Lake Show Life was wondering if Mike D’Antoni was the coach and Daryl Morey was the GM. What’s with the “Micro Ball” lineups? Read on…