New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram avoided a major ankle injury on Tuesday night but will miss Friday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The team said Ingram has a left low ankle sprain; an MRI on Wednesday confirmed the injury, and his status is day-to-day.
Ingram was injured just before halftime against the Golden State Warriors. Despite the injury, he played in the third quarter before checking out with 4:29 left in the period.
"I was a little surprised he came back in and played in the third quarter," Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said after Tuesday's game. "Thank God he did. He played well in the third quarter, and also if he hadn't been able to play those minutes in the third, we would have really had trouble in terms of fatigue and stuff down the stretch. Him going back out there on that ankle in the third quarter was gutsy and had a lot to do with our win."
Ingram, who's averaging 23.8 points per game, had six points and made both of his 3-pointers in the third quarter as the Pelicans used the period to slow down the Warriors and start their comeback.
The Pelicans will not have Ingram as they continue to make their push for the play-in tournament. New Orleans sits two games back of the San Antonio Spurs for the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings. The Pelicans have six games left, but that includes a five-game road trip before finishing at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. San Antonio has the toughest remaining schedule in the league.
New Orleans will have guard Didi Louzada available for the game after he cleared his visa process. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Louzada was considered one of the most reliable perimeter defenders in Australia's NBL, where he played the past two seasons for the Sydney Kings.
