On Dec. 30, the New Orleans Pelicans were 23-12 and tied for first place in the Western Conference. Just a month and a half later, heading out of the All-Star break, the Pelicans are 30-29 and in the thick of the middle of the West standings.
What happened? Well, two main culprits are largely responsible for all those losses: Zion Williamson's right hamstring and Brandon Ingram's left big toe.
Ingram injured the toe against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 25 and the Pelicans fell to 11-8 that night. However, after that, Williamson put the team on his shoulders, averaging 29.