Hawks vs Pelicans: Zion Williamson's Status for Tonight's Game Revealed

Williamson will miss tonight's game

Nov 1, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) dunks the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

New Orleans is dealing with a lot of injuries right now and they are going to be missing their biggest star in tonight's game vs Atlanta. Williamson was just ruled out of tonight's game due to right hamstring soreness. Shooting guard Jordan Hawkins is available though for the Pelicans.

Zion Williamson (right hamstring tightness) is officially out for tonight's game.

Jordan Hawkins (back spasms) will be available.

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) November 3, 2024

That is a big blow to a Pelicans team that is already missing Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and CJ McCollum. New Orleans is going to need to rely on Brandon Ingram to do a lot tonight if they hope to win.

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 11th in the NBA in PPG, 15th in FG%, 14th in 3PA, 17th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 20th in rebounding, and 19th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 16th in points per 100 possessions, 13th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 18th offensive rebounding percentage, and 3rd in free throw rate.

Atlanta is 28th in PPG allowed, 16th in field goal percentage allowed, 27th in 3PA allowed, and 30th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions, and 25th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The stats, whether advanced or not, have not been great for New Orleans so far this season. New Orleans is 24th in points per game, 19th in field goal percentage, 27th in three point attempts, 15th in three point percentage, 18th in free throw attempts, 15th in rebounds, and 13th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Pelicans are 23rd in points per 100 possessions, 24th in effective field goal percentage, 16th in turnover percentage, 11th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 21st in free throw rate.

Defensively, New Orleans is 16th in PPG allowed, 21st in field goal percentage allowed, 15th in three point attempts allowed, and 25th in three point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, New Orlenas is 16th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 20th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Trae Young has had to carry a heavy load for the Hawks in the last two games because they are so shorthanded. Young had 25 points on 8-21 shooting as well as 12 assists on offense. With Jones and Murphy out for New Orleans, Young could have an easier time on offense without their best wing defenders guarding him.

It has been a tough go for No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher in terms of shooting, but he has been a contributor for the Hawks in other ways. Still though, for him to be most effective, the Hawks need Risacher to be a viable threat when shooting the ball and he was 1-9 in nearly 20 minutes last night.

Jalen Johnson had been playing well heading into Friday's game vs the Kings, but he had a tough night on offense. He finished with 14 points, nine assists, and five rebounds while shooting 4-10 from the field.

Atlanta is going to have both Clint Capela and Larry Nance tonight and they could have big nights. The Pelicans center rotation consists of rookie Yves Missi and Daniels Theis, but Missi has been playing well. Still, Capela and Nance are veterans and have the advantage in this game.