He was the single biggest reason New Orleans had a chance to pull off a second-half comeback and earn a playoff berth Tuesday in its play-in tournament game vs. the Lakers, but Zion Williamson had to leave the floor at the worst possible time, with the outcome in doubt and only three-plus minutes remaining. Not long after the final buzzer of the Pelicans’ 110-106 loss, third-year head coach Willie Green said the initial word on Williamson’s injury was that it is “left leg soreness,” adding that the two-time All-Star power forward will undergo imaging and tests Wednesday to determine more details on his status for Friday’s play-in elimination game vs. Sacramento or Golden State.
Williamson had already scored 40 points in 36:27 of playing time in Tuesday’s game when he headed to the locker room. He added 11 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.
“It’s tough,” Pelicans forward Trey Murphy said of watching Williamson exit the game. “Especially with all of the work he’s put in (to play in a career-best 70 games during the regular season). You wish the best for him. It definitely sucks.”
“Performances like tonight are why he was consensus (as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2019),” Larry Nance Jr. said of Williamson’s outing. “That dude is incredible. My vocabulary is pretty expansive, but I don’t have the words to describe his performance tonight and how he’s (carried) us all season. Hopefully he’s healthy and we can get something similar on Friday.”
Asked how the Pelicans can respond if Williamson is unable to play Friday, Nance said, “It’s next man up. That’s how we’ve been all year. Different guys have missed different games for various reasons. Such is the NBA. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. But these are all ifs and buts. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that he’s doing alright.”