Zion Williamson missed two games earlier this week because of right leg issues. He didn't play in Sunday's game with right hamstring soreness nor in Monday's game with right thigh soreness.
Early in the second quarter of Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Williamson intentionally fouled and headed to the locker room. He was evaluated and returned at the start of the third quarter after experiencing what the New Orleans Pelicans said was left thigh soreness.
The Pelicans battled one of the NBA's last remaining unbeaten teams, but in their injured state, they couldn't keep up. New Orleans fell to Cleveland 131-122 at Smoothie King Center, a loss that dropped it to 3-6 on the season.
The Pelicans won their first two regular-season games. Since then, they have lost six of seven.
Williamson was listed as questionable prior to Wednesday's game. He went through his pregame warmup, and the Pelicans said he was available. He was able to play 10 minutes in the first half. He finished with 29 points on 9-of-18 shooting in 29 minutes.
The Cavaliers have roared to a 9-0 start behind their two high-scoring guards (Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell) and two excellent rim-protecting big men (Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen).
Wednesday's game was tied at 59-59 at halftime. In the third quarter, Cleveland's talent took over. With 3:04 remaining in the quarter, Pelicans wing Jordan Hawkins misfired on a 3. The Cavaliers got the ball to a cutting Allen, whose dunk upped their lead to 16 points.
Williamson fought through the myriad lower -body issues he's dealt with over the past few days. With 3:14 left in the game, his running layup cut the Cavaliers' lead to six points. The Cavaliers responded immediately with a Caris LeVert 3 from the right corner.
Cleveland shot a sizzling 17 of 35 from behind the 3-point arc. Mitchell and Garland combined for seven of those makes.
The Cavaliers' hot shooting allowed them to overcome a standout performance from Jose Alvarado, who started and scored a season-high 27 points for the Pelicans. Alvarado shot 7 of 7 from 3-point territory. In a 22-second span in the fourth quarter, he made consecutive 3-pointers, which kept New Orleans within arm's reach.
The Pelicans couldn't get enough stops to complete their comeback as Mitchell tallied 29 points.
The Pelicans finished their four-game home stand with a 1-3 record. They next play Friday against the Orlando Magic.