ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will miss Friday’s NBA Play-In Tournament game against the Sacramento Kings with a left hamstring injury. Wojnarowski tweeted: “Friday’s Play-In Tournament elimination game vs. Sacramento and will be evaluated again in coming weeks. Huge blow for New Orleans.”
Williamson, 23, put up 40 points, 11 rebounds and five assists before injuring his hamstring late in Tuesday’s Play-In Tournament matchup vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Williamson left the game with 3:13 remaining in the fourth quarter due to the left leg injury with the game tied at 95 apiece, and the Lakers went on to win 110-106.
Injuries have plagued Williamson throughout his NBA career thus far, but this season he has been healthy, appearing in 70 contests while averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists. Prior to this season, Williamson had never appeared in more than 61 games in a season. He only appeared in 29 games last year and missed the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign.
The Pelicans loss in the first round of the play-in tournament send them to an elimination game against the Kings on Friday; the winner of that game will secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. If the Pelicans win on Friday, Williamson’s status is unclear; he may not be available to play in the first round of the playoffs, pending further evaluation.
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