New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson was absolutely dominating Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night.
Williamson put the upstart Pelicans on his back in the second half, leading the team back from a double-digit second half deficit to take the lead. He was absolutely brilliant in the NBA Play-In Tournament game. It was insane.
Unfortunately, Williamson had to depart for the locker room with the game tied at 95 and just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. It came after a drive. He pulled up lame and went directly to the locker room.
As you can see, Williamson was extremely frustrated as he made his way to the locker room. There is no further immediate word on his status heading into Friday’s game against either the Sacramento Kings or Golden State Warriors following New Orleans’ 110-106 loss to the Lakers.
- Zion Williamson stats (Tuesday night): 40 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 17-of-27 shooting
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Zion Williamson injury and impact on the New Orleans Pelicans
Again, we’re not sure the extent of Williamson’s injury. We’ll hear more from Pelicans head coach Willie Green after the game.
For now, there has to be a high level of concern in New Orleans. Fellow stars Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum struggled to the tune of 8-of-27 shooting with five turnovers in Tuesday night’s four-point loss to the Lakers.
The No. 1 overall pick of the Pelicans in the 2019 NBA Draft, injuries have defined Williamson’s career. He played just 104 games throughout his first four seasons in New Orleans. That included missing the entire 2021-22 campaign due to a foot injury.
With Tuesday’s loss, New Orleans will take on either the Kings or Warriors for a spot in the NBA Playoffs on the line Friday night. We’ll have further updates when they become available.