Pelicans' Zion Williamson Leaves NBA Play-In Game vs. Lakers After Leg Injury

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson suffered an injury late in his team's Play-In Tournament game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The star scored 40 points before leaving the game and quickly heading to the locker room. He didn't play the final few minutes of the eventual 110-106 loss.

Williamson has been mostly healthy in 2023-24, appearing in a career-high 70 games.

His most recent issue came earlier this month with a contusion on his left middle finger during his team's 117-108 loss to the Orlando Magic, sitting out the last 7:24 of the game. Pelicans head coach Willie Green called Williamson "day-to-day" after the game, per Andrew Lopez. Thankfully, X-rays were negative and he quickly returned to the lineup.

Williamson has averaged 22.8 points on 58.1 percent shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 65 games, his biggest season workload since entering the NBA in 2019.

Unfortunately, injuries have sidelined the superstar for long amounts during his five-year campaign. A torn meniscus in his right knee (Oct. 2019) was the primary culprit that led to Williamson playing just 24 games in 2019-20. A fractured right foot kept him out for the entire 2021-22 campaign. Then Williamson suffered a right hamstring strain in 2022-23, when he played just 29 games.

Thankfully, Williamson has enjoyed a mostly clean bill of health in 2023-24, and the Pelicans have posted their best season since 2017-18, when Anthony Davis led a 48-win team to the Western Conference semifinals.

Still, the latest loss to the Lakers mean the Pelicans have a must-win game against the winner of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.

Without Williamson, the onus falls more on Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum to carry the offensive burden.