4. Stepping up to the plate on Christmas against Denver (12/25/19)
Getting the chance to play on Christmas day means different things for different levels of NBA players.
For a player like Ingram, a rookie on the league’s premier regular-season date, it was the opportunity to float his game in front of a national TV audience to draw in those whose interest in the Pelicans was tied solely to Zion Williamson.
New Orleans happened to occupy the final of the five-game slate on the road against the Denver Nuggets, but Ingram proved eager to show out nonetheless against a top Western Conference opponent.
Ingram would finish with 31 points and seven rebounds. This included shooting 11-of-18 from the field while draining a career-high seven 3-pointers in nine attempts, five of which came in the second half of an impressive 12-point road win.
Not as many eyes were on a game that ended past 1 AM on the east coast, but in a nerve-filled outing against one of the best teams in the league, Ingram made sure those who failed to watch would hear about it the next day.