The New Orleans Pelicans testament get to hold off at to the lowest degree two more weeks before they get under one's skin powerfulness send on Zion Williamson backward inward the lineup piece their leading scorer continues to nurse a flop hamstring tendon injury.

What a difference unity participant makes. In belatedly December, Williamson was playing the topper clump of his life history while leading the Pelicans to first of all localize inward the Western Conference. Disaster struck when Williamson went mastered with a hamstring trauma against the City of Brotherly Love 76ers inward the for the first time gritty of the young calendar year.

The Pelicans went 3-8 inwards their utmost 11 games without Williamson in the lineup, and they’re currently stuck inward a rut amidst a five-game losing streak. They tumbled to 4th property inwards the conference with a 26-22 record.

Williamson led the Pelicans with 26 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. The Pelicans mean(a) 115.6 points per gamy this season. Without their leading scorer, the Pelicans scored below 100 points per game in triplet out of their lowest quaternion games.

Futures Continue to Slide for Zion-less Pelicans

Before Williamson’s injury, the Pelicans were in second come in inward the southwestern United States Division but trailed the first-place Memphis Grizzlies by unity game in the red column. Three weeks later, the Grizzlies (31-16) extended their leading past 5.5 games thanks to an 11-game winning streak.

At the stop of December, the Pelicans were +165 odds to win the southwestern United States Division. When the Pelicans proclaimed Williamson would misfire ternary weeks of action in the foremost hebdomad of January, their divisional odds speedily dropped to +330 and the Grizzlies saw their odds bump to -230.

The Grizzlies are now -1400 favorites to win the Southwest Division inward back-to-back seasons, patch the Pelicans are only +1000 odds, and the third-place Dallas Mavericks are +2000 odds.

During a brief second when the Pelicans were inwards first of all put in the conference in mid-December, their 2022-23 NBA title betting odds peaked at +1800. The Pelicans are currently +2200 betting odds to win the championship, and +950 odds to win the horse opera Conference. Before the flavour began, the Pelicans were +4000 betting odds to win their franchise’s for the first time championship.

Pelicans inwards Precarious Playoff Peril

Before Williamson went downward with the hamstring tendon injury, the Pelicans were in third come out inwards the Western Conference with a 23-14 record, but were just unity game out of for the first time place. They were a constituent of a triple of teams fighting for the #1 seed inward the W with the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies.

Nearly threesome weeks since Williamson finally played, the Pelicans adhere to 4th come in in the Western Conference. They’re now eighter games come out of first off property behindhand the Nuggets.

While the Nuggets and Grizzlies are clearly inward a form among themselves as the top of the inning deuce teams inward the conference, the Pelicans are clustered together with X teams that are within quartet games of from each one other.

The Los Angeles Lakers currently reside 13th put in the horse opera Conference, and they’re on the playoff bubble. But as spoilt as the Lakers looked this season, they’re only when quaternary games slow the Pelicans inward 4th place, and 1.5 games forth from qualifying for the Play-In Tournament.

The Pelicans are inward a dangerous patch with so many teams within striking distance. If their downswing continues, they could easy terminate up on the playoff bubble before Williamson heals from his hamstring tendon injury.

The healing process is going accordingly and we’ll bear on to advance from there,” said Pelicans head up private instructor Willie Green.

The Pelicans said they will re-evaluate his come on and hamstring tendon inwards two weeks. If the Pelicans decide to remain cautious and maintain Williamson come out until after the All-Star Break, he could miss 11 to a greater extent games.

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