Why is Brandon Ingram not playing vs Oklahoma City Thunder? New Orleans Pelicans star's injury status

New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram has been declared out for their game against the OKC Thunder on Wednesday night. This marks the first time this season that he's sat out in consecutive games.

Ingram also missed the Pelicans’ previous game against the Golden State Warriors, a 130-102 loss ib Monday. He was ruled out due to right knee soreness.

As per Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, Ingram participated in practice yesterday and had intended to do so unless he experienced discomfort.

However, Pelicans coach Willie Green said that Ingram will not take the court on Wednesday night, which marks the first night of a back-to-back game in their schedule. New Orleans is set to go up against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.

In Ingram's absence against the Warriors, the Pelicans fielded a starting lineup consisting of CJ McCollum, Jordan Hawkins, Herb Jones, Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas. Williamson and McCollum had 19 points apiece to lead New Orleans in Monday's loss.

Ingram averaged 22.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals in the two games he played for the Pelicans this season.

Willie Green says Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are the NBA's best duo

Pelicans coach Willie Green has dubbed the duo of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson as the NBA's best.

“I am going to keep saying it. Best freaking duo in the NBA. They don’t talk about you enough. Best freaking duo in the NBA,” he said.

Since becoming the coach of the Pelicans in 2021, Green has only had Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram on the court at the same time for 14 games. The two have played together in 95 games in total for the Pelicans.

Injuries have hounded the two Pelicans stars.

In the past four seasons, Ingram never managed to surpass 65 games. His game count stood at 62, 61, 55, and 45 in his initial four seasons with the Pelicans.

Meanwhile, Williamson's highest number of games in a single season was 61, achieved in 2020-21, his sophomore year. In his rookie year, he participated in only 24 games, followed by 29 games in his fourth year. He missed the entirety of his third year due to a foot injury.

When he is on the court, Williamson is elite, boasting averages of 25.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 3.6 apg, all while shooting an impressive 60.4%.