SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) — New Orleans has another potential injury to deal with after Pelicans forward Zion Williamson left in the second quarter of Saturday night’s game against Utah.
The Pelicans announced that Williamson would not return due to a right ankle injury, and New Orleans ended up winning 115-105.
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Interim coach James Borrego said Williams “sprained his ankle,” but the severity of the injury was not immediately known. “Hopefully it’s nothing serious and we’ll have him back out there soon,” Borrego said.
It’s the latest setback for the oft-injured player, who has missed 16 games this season with various ailments. The game against the Utah Jazz was the two-time All-Star’s 35th consecutive game, the best of his NBA career dating back to Dec. 11 after he missed five games with a strained right hip adductor muscle.
Williamson played 11 minutes against the Utah Jazz and had 4 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound.
Williams was selected by the Pelicans with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Duke, but he was limited to 258 of 543 potential regular-season games and had never played more than 25 consecutive games before this recent stretch. He also missed the entire 2021-22 season with a fractured right foot.
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The Pelicans are depleted without small forward Trey Murphy (right shoulder), center Yves Missy (left calf) and guard Dejounte Murray (recovering).
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