The 8-4 Los Angeles Lakers are looking to rebound from a harrowing 121-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, and they might just be facing the perfect opponent next. The Lakers are on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, and the hosts are without some of their biggest names for what is also an NBA Cup clash.
The injury report for the game has been released, and the Pelicans have listed Zion Williamson (left hamstring strain), Jordan Poole (left quad strain), and Dejounte Murray (right Achilles rupture) as out. Those are three of the best players on the team.
Murray hasn’t played a game so far this season and is only expected to return around the New Year. The Pelicans at least would have been able to plan around his absence before the start of the season, but that’s not the case with the other two.
There was so much talk about Williamson slimming down before the season, and he had also claimed he hadn’t felt this good since he was in college. There was hope that the 25-year-old might finally stay injury-free, at least for a while, but the good times weren’t to last.
Williamson suffered a grade 1 left hamstring strain on Nov. 4 and was set for re-evaluation in 7-10 days. The Pelicans did then provide an update on his status on Thursday.
“Pelicans announce that Zion Williamson, who was diagnosed with a grade 1 left hamstring strain on November 4, continues to progress well through his rehabilitation and has been cleared to resume on-court basketball activities with contact. His return to play progression will be updated appropriately.”
So, there is still uncertainty about when Williamson, who has averaged 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26, will return. The 25-year-old has at least been cleared for on-court activities, so he should ideally be back sooner rather than later.
As for Poole, he was diagnosed with a mild left vastus lateralis (quad) strain on Nov. 7. He, too, was set to be re-evaluated in 7-10 days, and there is no update on his status yet.
Poole didn’t have the greatest of starts to this season with his new team before suffering that injury. The 26-year-old has averaged 17.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Pelicans in 2025-26, while shooting just 35.4% from the field.
With their big names missing some time and not quite shining when they are on the court, it’s no surprise that the Pelicans have had such a rough start as a team. They are currently at the bottom of the pile in the West with a 2-9 record.
The Pelicans don’t own their 2026 first-round pick, so this is not a team that is trying to lose. They’re simply not good enough.
With all this in mind, you’d certainly fancy the Lakers’ chances of getting a win here. The visitors will be without LeBron James and Gabe Vincent, but they still have more than enough to get the better of this Pelicans team.
Now, the Lakers did lay an egg when they faced a severely undermanned Atlanta Hawks team on Saturday, but the chances of a repeat here are slim. They should be 9-4 in the regular season and 2-0 in the cup after the final buzzer sounds at Smoothie King Center on the night.
