Brandon Ingram has mild strain of hamstring, will be evaluated next week

The NBA's hottest team is going to be without one of its top players for the immediate future.

The Pelicans announced Wednesday night that an MRI revealed that Brandon Ingram has a mild straight of his right hamstring. He is out for now and will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days.

Ingram has been a crucial part of a revamped New Orleans squad that has erupted offensively coming out of the All-Star Break. The Pelicans averaged 123.8 points per game in their first five contests after the break, going 4-1. Ingram scored 28, 19, 33, 29 and 38 points in those games. On the season, he averages 22.8 points per game, good for 17th in the league as of Wednesday.

He missed Tuesday night's tilt against the Grizzlies, however, and the Pelicans lost 132-111. They certainly have other playmakers who can pick up the slack -- notably CJ McCollum, who has helped transform the team since being acquired at the trade deadline -- but an extended absence from Ingram could be detrimental.

The Pelicans will need him back as soon as possible, as they're in the heat of the race for the final playoff spots. Entering Wednesday, New Orleans sat at 10th place in the Western Conference, 1.5 games ahead of Portland for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Ingram has been a steady scoring force for the Pelicans since they acquired him in the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers in 2019. Over three seasons, he has averaged 23.5 points per game on 46.4 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range in addition to 5.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.