New Orleans Pelicans star player Zion Williamson has been placed under NBA health and safety protocols and will not play Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs.
Williamson is leading the charge this season for the Pelicans, who are 18-12 and third in the Western Conference standings. He averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while posting a 60.3% success rate on his shots.
In his fourth season in the NBA, he appeared in 25 of his team’s 30 games. He missed two games at the end of October with a bruised lower back and right hip, and three games in mid-November with a bruised right foot.
New Orleans hosts San Antonio on Thursday night and travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Friday.
In addition to Williamson, the Pelicans will also be without forward Brandon Ingram for at least two more games, head coach Willie Green said earlier Wednesday. Ingram has been out since Nov. 25 with a bruised left big toe.
Williamson took over in Ingram’s absence. In the 11 games Ingram didn’t play, Williamson’s averages rose to 28.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.5 steals and one block per game, while still managing 63.5% of his shots. New Orleans is 7-4 in that span.
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