The Pelicans are pretty much done for the season. They’re 9.5 games away from going into the 13th spot, and 14.5 games from getting into the play-in positions. But the way their season is going, it doesn’t seem likely that a play-in position will prove to be fruitful either. Their biggest talking point of the season has been star forward Zion Williamson‘s saga, which has pretty much been concluded over the last month or so.

Zanos has picked up right where he left off. Issues regarding his weight were all over the media. But after getting consistent playing time over the last few weeks, he’s brought his team from shaky woes to consistent growth. They’re 5-5 in the last 10, with a good chance to save face before the season ends. But will he play tonight against Orlando Magic?

Pelicans injury report and predicted lineup

New Orleans are the latest visitors in the Magic’s 5-game homestand. Being in a terrible run of form themselves, it’s exactly what the Pelicans and Zion Williamson need to boost morale. He’s fresh off a 22-point, 10-board, and 12-assist triple-double during their 127-120 win over the Clippers on Tuesday. This was his second triple-double in a run of 8 games, showing the Big Easy exactly what they were missing all season. He’s back in the lineup and is set to play vs the Magic.

Let’s get the old injuries out of the way first. Shooting guard Dejounte Murray was pronounced a torn Achilles earlier in February, which put him out for the rest of the season. It’s fine considering a playoff position is a long shot for the team. But you can never go wrong with having an average of 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists on your floor game-in game-out. “THANK YOU GOD 🙏🏽 For A Successful Surgery!!! 💯 Road To Recovery Starts Now… 💪🏽 Won’t Stop, Can’t Stop. You Get Out What You Put In!!!!! Built For It All!!!” said Murray on his Instagram.

Later that month, forward Herbert Jones was confirmed to undergo a successful surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff on his right shoulder. Sources do say that he’s out for the season as well. Murray has some company though. Aside from that, guard Brandon Boston was diagnosed with a left ankle stress reaction, and will be re-evaluated in another week or so. He’s also out for the Magic clash.

Now onto the fresh ones. Veteran center Kelly Olynyk is ruled out of the game due to personal reasons. It’s unknown exactly why he won’t feature at the Kia Center tonight, but his solid performances will be missed for sure. The bigger story is probably Yves Missi’s questionable status against the Magic. The Cameroonian has not been messing about this season, averaging 8.8 points and 8 rebounds a game while shooting 54.5% from the field at just 20 years old. But an ankle discomfort means he’s on a day-to-day basis for the Pelicans.

That being said, this is their predicted lineup vs the Magic:

The Pelicans‘ biggest motivation for next season is to make sure they finish this one on a high. The return of Zion Williamson and their recent form has shown that they do have the quality to be a playoff-worthy side, but only time will tell. Will they win against the Magic tonight?