Many NBA observers expected New Orleans to immediately plummet based on Friday’s news that All-Star forward Zion Williamson is sidelined indefinitely, but in two weekend road games, that was anything but the case. The Pelicans followed up a two-point loss against East-leading Philadelphia with a dramatic five-point win at Charlotte, the East’s current No. 8 seed.
With Williamson out of action, two members of the team’s 2019 draft class combined on one of the biggest baskets of Sunday’s game, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker dishing to Jaxson Hayes for a score that put the Pelicans up by four points with 12 seconds left.