New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is out of Friday’s NBA play-in game against the Sacramento Kings due to a hamstring injury, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Williamson injured his hamstring in the Pelicans’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. The loss in the first round of the play-in tournament sent the Pelicans into an elimination game against the Kings on Friday. The winner of this game will guarantee eighth place in the Western Conference playoffs. The season of losers will end.
Even if the Pelicans win on Friday, it doesn’t appear Williamson would be available to play in the first round of the playoffs. According to Wojnarowski, Williamson will be evaluated again in the coming weeks.
The news is a significant blow to the Pelicans heading into the postseason. It marks the latest setback in Williamson’s injury-plagued career. Multiple injuries have limited Williamson since the Pelicans selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. In five NBA seasons, Williamson has been limited to 184 of a possible 410 regular-season games.
