According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, star forward Zion Williamson will be unavailable when the Pelicans meet the Kings on Friday in the Western Conference’s last play-in game.
Williamson left Tuesday’s loss against the Lakers with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter due to an apparent left leg injury. Williamson was reportedly suffering with a left hamstring injury, which Wojnarowski has confirmed.
According to Woj, Williamson will be re-evaluated in “coming weeks.” That phrase implies that if New Orleans wins Sacramento on Friday, the former No. 1 overall pick will be unavailable to start round one of the playoffs.
It’s a brutal blow for the Pelicans, who were one win away from securing the No. 6 seed in the West and avoiding the play-in tournament altogether. However, they couldn’t beat the Lakers on Sunday, and that loss forced them to host the Lakers again on Tuesday in the No. 7 vs. 8 play-in game.
Williamson, who was coming off the healthiest season of his five-year NBA career (he started 70 games), had a huge night on Tuesday before injuring his hamstring, racking up 40 points, 11 rebounds and five assists to keep the Pelicans in the game. It was tied at 95 when he checked out, but Los Angeles pulled out the 110-106 victory.
Brandon Ingram, Williamson’s fellow star forward, returned from a left knee bone bruise on Sunday but does not appear to be fully recovered; he played only 25 minutes on Tuesday and New Orleans was outscored by 16 points while he was on the court. With Williamson out and Ingram not at full strength, the Pelicans risk missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
