There were no signs that Zion Williamson was dealing with an injury issue in Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers. He scored 34 points in the Pelicans’ win.
On Sunday morning, the Pelicans anticipated that Williamson would play in their game against the Atlanta Hawks. Then, Williamson showed up to Smoothie King Center Sunday afternoon, and the team listed him as questionable with right hamstring tightness.
Williamson’t didn’t play Sunday, nor was he active in Monday’s game with what the Pelicans said was right thigh soreness.
Pelicans coach Willie Green said he wasn’t sure when the injury occurred.
“I don’t know exactly how it occurred,” Green said. “He showed up. Said he felt a little something. We wanted to make sure we got a look at it.”
Williamson has already missed three games, and the Pelicans’ season is only eight games old. On Monday, the Pelicans lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 118-100 without him. New Orleans couldn’t overcome the absences of six key players as it dropped its second game in two days at home.
Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones and CJ McCollum didn’t play. Neither did Jordan Hawkins, who has been battling back soreness and was held out.
That left Brandon Ingram with a heavy scoring load to carry. Ingram notched 27 points on 11-of-24 shooting. He kept the Pelicans in the game until the fourth quarter, when New Orleans got outscored 39-18.
Anfernee Simons scored 24 points for Portland, while Trail Blazers wings Toumani Camara and Jerami Grant added 16 points each.
The Pelicans beat the Trail Blazers on Oct. 25 in Portland. Since then, the Pelicans have lost the two meetings between the teams.
Brandon Boston Jr., a scoring-minded wing the Pelicans claimed off waivers just before the regular season started, stepped into the starting lineup for the second time in his career. He finished with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He was a bright spot, but the Pelicans didn’t have enough scoring outside of Boston and Ingram to keep up.
In the fourth quarter, Dalano Banton came off the Trail Blazers’ bench and scored 20 points in 12 minutes of action.
Banton outscored the Pelicans singlehandedly in the final quarter.
“We kind of ran out of steam the last five, seven minutes of the game,” Green said. “Two games in a row. It happens.”
The Pelicans fell to 3-5 on the season. They close a four-game home stand Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Green said he doesn’t know when Williamson will play again. Williamson did not attend Monday’s game.
“He was not at the game,” Green confirmed. “Doctor’s orders. Because of the hamstring and quad. We kept him at home tonight.”
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