Editor’s note: The New Orleans Pelicans announced Wednesday that Zion Williamson will miss Friday’s Play-In game due to a hamstring strain.
NEW ORLEANS — This was the game Pelicans fans waited five years to see from Zion Williamson. His performance on this stage, in this moment, was the stuff that makes legends.
Then, it all went away in the blink of an eye. Most folks in the building didn’t know what happened until he was gone. A few of his teammates didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late.
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The Pelicans superstar got his first taste of the postseason Tuesday night, and it was a much different flavor than the last time he saw the Los Angeles Lakers under the bright lights. Even with LeBron James and Anthony Davis trying to impose their wills, Williamson was by far the best player on the court in Tuesday’s Play-In Tournament game. He had 40 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes, leading the Pelicans as they stormed back from an 18-point deficit.
But with 3:13 left in the fourth quarter, Williamson grabbed his left leg after depositing his 40th point on a floater over Davis. The injury ended his night and helped the Lakers squeak out a 110-106 victory, allowed them to snag the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and a first-round series against the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The Pelicans will face the Sacramento Kings on Friday in a single-elimination game for the No. 8 seed.
Zion Williamson headed to the locker room with three minutes left in the game with an apparent leg injury.
Coach Willie Green described the injury as left leg soreness and said Williamson will get imaging on it tomorrow.
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Williamson’s final bucket drew one of the night’s loudest roars from a euphoric Smoothie King Center crowd. He worked his way into the lane, bumped Davis and drained a short floater in front of the basket to tie the score at 95. It was one of several times he imposed his will against one of the NBA’s most stout defenders.
But as soon as he came down, Williamson knew something was wrong. He almost immediately motioned to the bench so he could come out. After a quick conversation with a Pelicans staffer, he threw a towel to the floor in frustration and stormed off to the locker room. The mood in the arena went from defiance to despair. From glee to gloom.
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If Williamson could’ve carried his team to a comeback victory on this night, with these stakes, it would’ve been his most epic performance as a pro. Based on how he was playing, it could’ve gone down as one of the most memorable nights in franchise history.
Instead, the night ended with another gut-wrenching loss at home and another mysterious injury for a player who’s grown all too familiar with both.
“It was tough to see him go down. We’re all praying and hoping he’s OK,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “He was battling. … The team was right there with him. It’s tough. We’ll see what happens and go from there.”
Williamson’s injury is to his left hamstring, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, which is cause for concern. A right hamstring injury cost Williamson the final 45 games of the 2022-23 regular season.
However, Williamson, who did not speak to reporters, appeared to be in good spirits after the game. He exited the arena without a noticeable limp or a visible wrap around his leg. Green said the team will perform imaging on Williamson’s leg on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury.
“He’s going to get some imaging on it tomorrow and we’ll figure out more,” Green said. “I haven’t talked to him or anything like that. We’ll see what happens tomorrow when we get the results back.”
Williamson’s status could determine the fate of the Pelicans’ season as they head into Friday’s game against the Kings with the No. 8 seed on the line. The winner will move on to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The loser will see its season end.
Considering everything the team has accomplished this season, and, in particular, the steps Williamson has taken to keep himself healthy, it would be devastating to have it come to an sudden end due to an untimely injury.
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The cruel end to the night adds another chapter to Williamson’s roller-coaster career and the list of injuries that have prevented him from living up to his tremendous promise. New Orleans has patiently waited for the 2019 No. 1 pick to deliver on the hype and expectations that followed him as he entered the league. While there were flashes of greatness in his first four seasons, the past few months represented the most sustained dominance he’s displayed as a pro. He played a career-high 70 games and helped New Orleans finish with the second-most wins in franchise history (49) this season.
But in a deep Western Conference, 49 wins weren’t enough to guarantee a spot in the playoffs. A loss on Friday would make New Orleans the first team in NBA history to win 49 games and not make the playoffs.
“It sucks,” Pels point guard Jose Alvarado told The Athletic. “You can say if he’s there we win the game. At least that’s the way I see it in my head. Hopefully, he gets healthy and he can play in the next one. We’re going to need him.”
After scoring just 12 points in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Lakers, Williamson admitted he was too passive and vowed to have a more aggressive mindset in the Play-In rematch. He certainly delivered on that promise. He played with speed and force. Most importantly, he played without fear.
Williamson attacked James and Davis without hesitation all night. There were several possessions when he had to slither around one future Hall of Famer and power through the other just to get to the basket. He didn’t let it deter him.
Williamson’s aggression was the only thing that kept the Pelicans in the game. Brandon Ingram struggled to regain his rhythm in his second game back after sitting out the previous 12 due to a bone bruise in his left knee, while CJ McCollum, who came in blazing hot over his previous seven games, went cold at the worst time, finishing with just nine points on 4-of-15 shooting and 1 of 9 from 3. Despite Williamson’s brilliance, the Lakers built a double-digit lead and appeared on their way to another blowout victory.
As the Pelicans finally found a spark to get back in the game, McCollum and Ingram sat on the bench. Ingram did not play the final 7:38, and McCollum only returned because Williamson got hurt.
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Without his two co-stars by his side, Williamson dragged the Pelicans back. After New Orleans fell behind 91-80 with eight minutes left, he scored or assisted on 12 of his team’s next 15 points.
Williamson’s bucket to tie the score at 95 was both the crescendo and end of that run. He was once again silencing those who questioned his competitiveness, his capabilities as a closer and his leadership. James and Davis, who took turns steamrolling the Pelicans in Sunday’s blowout, appeared to be wearing down as Williamson crashed through the lane with little resistance, like a power back running the clock out in the fourth quarter.
If Williamson does play Friday, which remains unclear, he’ll have an opportunity to make up for Tuesday night’s heart-wrenching ending. But recreating the elements that made Tuesday a landmark night in his career will be almost impossible. The defeat will go down as an opportunity lost, like so many others the Pelicans have been forced to cope with in recent years due to Williamson’s injuries.
“That’s what great players do,” McCollum said of Williamson’s performance. “Good mental toughness. Coming back and figuring out how he can be more impactful — how he could be more efficient. He got to his spots. He did whatever he wanted tonight.”
Regardless of Williamson’s status, the Pelicans’ chances of beating the Kings for a sixth time this season will increase tremendously if they can get Ingram to look like himself again. The 26-year-old star showed clear signs of frustration as he watched from the sidelines late in the fourth quarter and left the arena before speaking to reporters. New Orleans needs Ingram’s playmaking and scoring to open up the floor for everyone else.
“He’s human, and he wants to win. Of course, I know where he’s coming from,” Alvarado said of Ingram. “At the end of the day, he’s one of our best players. We need him to win. If we’re going to make some noise in the playoffs, we need him to do what he does.”
The sting of losing Williamson at such a crucial moment will garner most of the focus following Tuesday’s loss. But if the Pelicans lose again on Friday and their season ends abruptly, the disappointment and frustration over this team’s failure will stick with them the entire offseason.
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(Top photo: Layne Murdoch Jr. / NBAE via Getty Images)
