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How Lakers beat Pelicans in Play-In Tournament: Zion Williamson suffers injury amid career performance
Zion Williamson looked unstoppable during Tuesday's Play-In Tournament opener against the Los Angeles Lakers — a 110-106 loss — until the New Orleans Pelicans star's monster night ended early. He exited in the final minutes of the matchup with what Pelicans coach Willie Green later described as left leg soreness.
After the game, Williamson walked out of Smoothie King Center without any apparent mobility issues. He didn't have a visible wrap on his leg either.
Green said Williamson will get imaging on his leg Wednesday. Green added that he didn't see if it was a knee or a foot Williamson injured.
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Pelicans’ Zion Williamson leaves loss to Lakers with leg soreness, coach says
What's next for Zion, Pelicans?
Zion 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.
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 represent 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.”
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Zion Williamson’s dream performance turns into nightmare. Now, Pelicans are on the brink
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Lakers 'not ducking the smoke’
(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS — The Los Angeles Lakers were never going to duck the Denver smoke.
They heard the chatter over the 48 hours leading into the No. 7 vs. No. 8 Play-In Tournament game between them and the New Orleans Pelicans. They heard that they should purposely lose to avoid playing the No. 2 seed Nuggets. The defending champs swept the season series with the Lakers and have won eight straight games against them overall dating back to January 2023.
As a result, a handful of national pundits suggested the Lakers would be better off losing Tuesday and taking their chances trying to win on Friday at home against either the No. 9 Sacramento Kings or the No. 10 Golden State Warriors (the Kings ended up advancing) — risking their season ending if they lost — and then playing the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
But that was never a consideration for the Lakers, who have won 12 of 15 games and are brimming with confidence. They planned for Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans as if their season was on the line — and they came out and played like it.
The result was a 110-106 win, a victory that elevated Los Angeles to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and set up a rematch with their Rocky Mountain foes in the first round. Game 1 is Saturday night in Denver.
Instead of running from the challenge that has stumped the Lakers for over a year, they’re running toward it.
“If they beat us, they beat us,” Anthony Davis told The Athletic of the Lakers’ mindset versus Denver. “We’re not ducking the smoke.”
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Nuggets loom, but Lakers are confident and ready for rematch: ‘We’re not ducking the smoke’
One of many sad footnotes to Zion Williamson's injury: His 40-point game in his postseason debut — the biggest moment of his basketball life — will be relegated to the ether because Play-In Tournament stats are not considered playoff or regular-season stats. So it'll be as if the performance never happened.
(OK, maybe a bit dramatic, but still.)
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Lakers-Nuggets Part II is on the way
Stephen Lew / USA Today
This was a spirited win for the Lakers, who staved off the Pelicans' second-half rally to secure the No. 7 seed and advance to face the No. 2 Denver Nuggets in a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals. The Lakers will certainly be heavy underdogs entering the series, but they're confident that their new starting lineup and high-powered offense will give them a chance to defeat the defending champions. The obvious challenge will be solving Denver's crunch-time offense, which has shredded the Lakers over the past calendar year. Denver has won eight straight games against the Lakers entering Game 1 on Saturday.
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LeBron James, Lakers hold off Pelicans in Play-In Tournament, will face Nuggets in first round
This 110-106 loss to the Lakers was a heartbreaking end for the Pelicans on a night when it seemed Zion Williamson was on the verge of quieting all his critics. He finishes with 40 points, 11 rebounds and five assists before leaving the game with 3:13 left in the fourth quarter due to an undisclosed injury. As if losing this game wasn't bad enough, now the Pels need to hope he'll be healthy enough to play on Friday with the season on the line.
Basketball can be cruel. This is cruel for Zion Williamson and for the Pelicans. He’s been terrific this season for, basically, a 50-win team. Now, New Orleans will have to hold its breath for a couple of days to see if it gets its superstar back for a win or go-home game Friday against the Warriors-Kings winner. And, also: how do the Pels handle their decision to keep Brandon Ingram on the bench down the stretch? How does he handle it?
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What a block by Zion Williamson! In the first half, he got LeBron James with a block and then tried to go to the other end to complete the end-to-end play. He missed the lay-in and it led to a dunk for James on the other end.
This time, Williamson got the block, got the ball back and found Jose Alvarado for a triple. Huge play and the Pelicans are back in this thing.