The New Orleans Pelicans will face the Phoenix Suns in the 1st round of the playoffs in the West.

The New Orleans Pelicans, led by Brandon Ingram, are heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. They defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the ‘Win or Go Home’ game for the 8th seed, at the home of the Clippers.

This was a massive win for the Pelicans, as they will be going to the playoffs, against all the odds, as they finished as the 9th seed in the West after having a terrible start to their season where they looked like a lottery team.

Brandon Ingram led the way for the Pelicans in the biggest game of their season and ended up scoring 30 points while recording six assists and six rebounds. This will be the first time that Ingram will be going to the playoffs, as this young player has led this team without Zion, who has missed the whole season.

Brandon Ingram headed to the playoffs for the 1st time in his career. 👏💪 pic.twitter.com/XWHCydjmEf

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 16, 2022

The inclusion of CJ McCollum has worked wonders for the Pelicans, as his introduction to this team has made them unstoppable, and they will be facing a tough test in the 1st round against the Phoenix Suns.

It will be a great learning curve for this young team that they will be playing in the playoffs against the best team in the league this season, and Brandon Ingram will be the man to watch out for in that series.

Tonight's win also pushes CJ McCollum's streak to 9 straight seasons in the playoffs.

He's never missed the postseason in his career.

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) April 16, 2022

The Pelicans are legitimately scary next year…

G – CJ McCollum (All-Star caliber)
G – Herb Jones
F – Brandon Ingram (All-Star caliber)
F – Zion Williamson (All-Star caliber)
C – Jonas Valanciunas (All-Star caliber)

Elite role players: Larry Nance, Jose Alvarado, Jaxson Hayes pic.twitter.com/U7WGVOKLsJ

— Slam (@slamstudios) April 14, 2022

Los Angeles Clippers’ season ends in a disappointing manner

This season for the Clippers was full of unfortunate things, with Kawhi Leonard not playing a single game due to his ACL injury and Paul George also missing a significant amount of time due to his elbow injury.

The team did a decent job to be in the mix for the playoffs, despite missing their star players for most of the season. They will be the favorites to win the title next season when they are healthy, as Kawhi Leonard will be back for revenge after missing a whole year of his career due to the injury he suffered in the 2nd round of the playoffs last season against the Jazz.

If Kawhi and Paul George are back full strength next year, the Clippers will be the team to beat in the West.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 16, 2022

Kawhi Leonard’s defense in San Antonio
🔒🔒🔒

Some of the best defense I have ever seen pic.twitter.com/uFnmA1qnbZ

— kawhi fan (@KawhiNewEra) April 10, 2022

Also Read: Top 5 NBA players under the most pressure in the upcoming playoffs

Follow our dedicated NBA page for instant NBA news and updates.