Zion Williamson will miss his first game of the 2026-27 season on Monday, sitting out the New Orleans Pelicans’ matchup with the Golden State Warriors.
Williamson is listed on the team’s injury report as out due to rest. The Pelicans are playing the second of back-to-back games following Sunday’s 139-123 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers. The 139 points allowed were the second-most New Orleans has yielded this season, behind the 141 given up in an overtime defeat to the Denver Nuggets.
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Facing the Warriors, Williamson scored 25 points, shooting 9-for-9 from the floor, and grabbed 4 rebounds.
In 10 games this season, Williamson has averaged 21 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Last season, the 6-foot-6 forward appeared in 62 games, the second-highest total of his career.
During his seven NBA seasons, Williamson has missed 278 games. That includes sitting out the entire 2021-22 campaign due to a broken right foot. Injuries and struggles with his conditioning have been an issue since the Pelicans selected him No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
New Orleans will be without two of its top four scorers against the Warriors. Trey Murphy III is also out for Monday’s game with bilateral patellar tendinopathy.
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Murphy missed the Pelicans’ win over the Utah Jazz last Wednesday for the same reason. He is fourth among New Orleans scorers, averaging 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 37% on 53 3-point attempts.
The Pelicans (4-6) have lost two consecutive games after a four-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Warriors have won seven in a row after beginning their season 0-3.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
