Brandon Ingram spoils LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers playoff hopes

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 01: Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans celebrates a 114-111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on April 1, 2022 in Los Angeles, California, Brandon Ingram spoils LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers playoff hopes. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

LeBron James and Anthony Davis both returned to the court for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. LA took on the New Orleans Pelicans in a game that would be crucial for their chances at making the playoffs.

Well, it was actually crucial for their chances at making the Play-In, let alone the playoffs. And if you paid attention to any of the NBA headlines Friday night and Saturday morning, you know how well the game went.

Brandon Ingram spoils LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers playoff hopes

The Lakers were at home taking on Davis’ former team, in a position to improve their place in the standings. And when the lights were at their brightest, Brandon Ingram was the one who got the last laugh.

New Orleans walked away with the win, taking down the Lakers 114-111. Ingram finished the night with 29 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists against his former tea.

Both James and Davis played well, too, dropping 38 and 23 points, respectively, but at the end of the day, the only stat that mattered in that game was the win.

Ingram wasn’t necessarily humble during the win, either. Just a couple of seasons ago, the Lakers shipped him to New Orleans in exchange for Davis, and while James obviously isn’t in the front office, it’s not hard to see that he pushed them to make the trade.

Videos surfaced all over Twitter that showed Ingram smiling menacingly at James after hitting a free throw. And the crazy part is, the Pelicans were losing at that point.

Obviously, Ingram also picked up a flagrant foul for smacking James in the face whilst trying to block a layup, but other than that, he did most of his talking with his play.

There’s very clearly no love lost between Ingram and the Lakers organization, and the funniest part about that trade is that if the Lakers miss the playoffs, the Pelicans get their pick (if it falls into the top ten).

This season has been a comedy of errors for the Lakers, and seeing the Pelicans sweep them on the season was just icing on the cake. Los Angeles’ season is in serious danger (and has been for a while).