Pelicans Now Dealing With a Zion Williamson Injury Concern

The New Orleans Pelicans won their fourth straight game on Saturday, defeating the Utah Jazz on the road to improve to 19-42 for the season and take over the 13th seed in the Western Conference. Securing the win without Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy was very important in the Pelicans' improbable pursuit of a postseason spot. Unfortunately, however, they may have suffered an important loss amid the big win.

Zion Williamson rolled his ankle early in the second quarter and was ruled out by the Pelicans for the rest of the game. With over nine minutes left in the first half, Williamson went directly into the locker room.

Fortunately, the star power forward was able to walk on his own to the locker room without a noticeable limp. The injury itself didn't seem too severe at the time, but the Pelicans will understandably be cautious about Williamson, who has dealt with significant injury concerns throughout his career.

Zion Williamson's Status TBD for Sunday & Beyond

Any time a player has to leave a game early due to a sprain or a muscle injury, their status for the next game becomes in question. This is especially the case for Williamson, since the Pelicans travel from Utah to Los Angeles to play the Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back on Sunday.

The Pelicans have yet to release their injury report for that game, but it's safe to assume that Williamson will be on there. With what designation, however, remains to be seen. This puts his career-best run of availability in jeopardy.

Williamson has played 35 straight games for the Pelicans, not missing a game since December 14. This is the longest streak of consecutive games played for the All-Star forward, highlighting the work he put in to get his body right in the offseason.

Even though his numbers may be down across the board, Williamson looks as fit and explosive as he has looked in years. He has been getting to the rim and finishing at will thanks to his still-elite athleticism.

How much this ankle injury impacts the rest of his season is currently unclear, but Williamson is undoubtedly in the midst of a successful season individually. He is on track to play 60 games in a season for the third time in his seven-year career. We will know more about whether he will be able to achieve that threshold once the Pelicans release their official injury report closer to game-time on Sunday.