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New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Pelicans fans receive crushing Zion Williamson injury news

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 4/18/24

The New Orleans Pelicans have another chance to make the NBA playoffs despite falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in their play-in tournament contest on Tuesday night.

If the Pelicans are to defeat the Sacramento Kings in their do-or-die play-in game on Friday, they'll have to do so without two-time All-Star power forward Zion Williamson.

Pelicans went 5-0 against the Kings this season - they played in the in-season tournament - and Zion played in 4 of those games.

In the one he didn’t, Pels won 133-100.

Still, a tough task just got even tougher with the Kings coming to town with a playoff bid on the line. https://t.co/TM9ulqn3X2
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2024

Pelicans are 7-5 without Williamson, who played a career-high 70 games this season, per @StatsWilliams
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 17, 2024

As noted by ESPN's Andrew Lopez, New Orleans fared well against Sacramento in the regular season and in the in-season tournament, even during its one contest without the former Duke star.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Williamson's 70 games during the 2023-24 regular season were a career-high, and the Pelicans played decently in his absence, going 7-5.

Even if New Orleans gets past the Kings, they'd likely be without the 23-year-old for most of a first-round series against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

Re: Zion's re-evaluation in two weeks

Two weeks from today is May 1 - which would be Game 5 of a possible first-round series if the Pelicans were to beat the Kings and advance to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. https://t.co/0hy7ac8oQ0
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2024

A two-week timeline also means Williamson would almost certainly miss at least the first four games of a potential first-round series against OKC.

Really tough news for Zion and the Pels. https://t.co/ddsoxgjDDA
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) April 17, 2024

On Tuesday, Williamson suffered a hamstring strain with 3:13 left in his team's 110-106 loss to the Lakers. The injury came immediately as Williamson dropped his 17th field goal of the tilt to push him to 40 points and knot the score at 95 apiece.

The lefty added 11 rebounds and five assists in the first non-regular-season game of his career, but his absence was felt big time. It was also his first 40-point, 10-rebound performance.

The big man sat out the Pelicans' two play-in games in 2022 due to an injury, plus their first-round set against the Phoenix Suns. Williamson missed the group's play-in tournament loss against the Thunder last April with an injury.

His effort against Los Angeles was an extension of what he did for most of the campaign. Williamson led the squad in points (22.9) per game and was second in rebounds (5.8) and assists per contest (career-high 5.0), as well as field goal percentage (.570).

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