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Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans got themselves in a tough predicament after ending the regular season on a tough stretch. The Pelicans fell to the No. 7 spot on the final day after going 5-5 in their final 10 games. They now face the LA Lakers in the NBA Play-In Tournament to determine the seventh seed.
According to the latest Pelicans injury report, they will have a fully healthy roster when they take on the Lakers at the Smoothie King Center. It's great news for coach Willie Green heading into the most important game of their season, especially with Brandon Ingram back in the lineup.
New Orleans is in a tough predicament, as a win would mean they will face defending champions Denver Nuggets in the first round. If they lose, they will battle the winner of the Sacramento Kings-Golden State Warriors matchup.
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The Pelicans swept the Kings this season, but the Warriors have so much playoff experience.
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What happened to Zion Williamson?
Zion Williamson stayed healthy for the majority of the season for the first time in his career. He only missed 12 games, and most of them was due to not playing in half of back-to-backs. He averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 57.0%a.
Williamson had two injury scares over the past two weeks. Gary Harris of the Orlando Magic accidentally fell into his right knee on April 3 but Zion didn't suffer any major injury. He hurt his wrist last week after falling wrong against the Sacramento Kings.
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Zion Williamson's stats vs. LA Lakers
Zion Williamson has played nine games against the LA Lakers in his very young career. He's averaging 24.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 32.1 minutes per game. He's shooting 56.8% from the field and 72.1% from the charity stripe.
However, Williamson has a losing record versus the Lakers at 2-7. His best game against them was a 35-point performance on March 1, 2020, which was a 122-114 loss. His career-low against the Lakers was 14 points, and he did so just two days ago in their 124-108 defeat.
Can the Pelicans make the playoffs?
The New Orleans Pelicans have only made the playoffs once in the last five seasons, in 2021. The Pelicans were in the NBA Play-In Tournament last year as the No. 9 seed but lost to the OKC Thunder at home and were eliminated.
New Orleans got inconsistent at the wrong time, as they even had the No. 4 spot last month after overtaking the LA Clippers. However, the Clippers got their confidence back, the Dallas Mavericks turned it up, and the Phoenix Suns were hot at the right time.
Pelicans Fan? Check out the latest New Orlean Pelicans depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.
