Tuesday’s play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers did not go well for the New Orleans Pelicans. They not only lost the game but are now waiting to hear more about the health of their best player.
A Zion Williamson basket tied the game at 95 late in the fourth quarter. But as soon as the basket was made, it was clear that something wasn’t right with the Pelicans star. Williamson walked gingerly to the bench after the basket.
When the game came back from commercial after a Los Angeles time-out, a visibly frustrated Williams headed back to the locker room.
Zion Williamson heads to the locker room with an injury after making a bucket to get to 40 points. pic.twitter.com/EDgOiWXJqc
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) April 17, 2024
Williamson stayed in the locker room for the remainder of the game, which the Lakers went on to win 110-106.
Following the game, Pelicans coach Willie Green said (per Andrew Lopez, ESPN) that Williamson was dealing with “left leg soreness” and that imaging would come on Wednesday.
Willie Green says it’s left leg soreness for Zion Williamson and he will get imaging done tomorrow.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2024
While “soreness” might convey a sense of optimism, NBA fans were skeptical, to say the least.
No way they sat Zion in a game with playoffs on the line in a tied game just because of leg soreness the Pelicans might have actually deserved to lose that game https://t.co/6f0Yw6h4Dq
— Holden Snodgrass (@SnodgrassHolden) April 17, 2024
Zion slander is gonna be off the charts if this man left the game over some soreness https://t.co/n7cZL697y6
— Bradsketbawl (@bradsketbawl) April 17, 2024
it’s gotta be more than soreness cause he’s not leaving the biggest game of his career under just those circumstances. https://t.co/LiKHMRdWOP
— ♟️ (@Coopz___) April 17, 2024
Ah yes, the soreness that leads to imaging. Very normal.
Just say what the early diagnosis is, man. The obfuscation by teams is getting so insane. https://t.co/HGHd9FaFsD
— Danny Marang (@DannyMarang) April 17, 2024
Not coming back into a postseason game due to soreness? Methinks it might be a bit more than that. https://t.co/1u8yn4ihKT
— Jonathan Von Tobel (@meJVT) April 17, 2024
Making matters worse, particularly if this is a more serious injury, is that Williamson had a fantastic game to that point. He scored a season-high 40 points and added 11 rebounds and five assists. Williamson’s game helped drive a Pelicans comeback after the Lakers opened up an 18-point lead in the third quarter.
The New Orleans season is not over. On Thursday, they will play for the No. 8 seed against the Sacramento Kings, who eliminated the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
[Andrew Lopez on Twitter/X, Photo Credit: TNT]
