In what could very well have been the biggest performance of his fledgling career, New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson suffered an injury at the worst possible time. The 23-year-old exploded for 40 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in their winner-take-all Play-In showdown on Tuesday night, only to be forced to exit in crunch time due to what has now been diagnosed as a significant hamstring injury.
Unsurprisingly, without their best player available to close out the game, the Pelicans lost to LeBron James and Co., 110-106, thereby setting up a do-or-die matchup against the Sacramento Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
New Orleans Pelicans News: Zion Williamson OUT Vs. Kings
The bad news for the Pelicans is that this isn’t a minor injury for their star forward. According to a report by NBA guru Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Williamson is now expected to miss Friday’s single-elimination showdown against the Kings, and perhaps beyond:
ESPN Sources: Pelicans F Zion Williamson’s (left hamstring) is out for Friday’s Play-In Tournament elimination game vs. Sacramento and will be evaluated again in coming weeks. Huge blow for New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/rMc1IC2RtY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 17, 2024
This is a devastating blow not only for the Pelicans but for Williamson himself, who was in the midst of the healthiest season of his career. He has been playing excellently as well, averaging 22.9 points on 57.0 percent shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.1 steals in 31.5 minutes per contest.
Zion played a career-high 70 games for New Orleans this season.
Zion Could Be Done for the Season
Woj has also reported that if the Pelicans win on Friday to secure a No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 seed first-round playoff matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s unlikely that Williamson will be available for that series:
.@wojespn and @MichaelWilbon with the latest on Zion Williamson's injury: pic.twitter.com/xgKOY9Was1
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 17, 2024
Depending on how this shakes out, Zion may have already played his final game of the season.
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