The Pelicans fell to the Hornets in blow out fashion on Saturday night, but Zion Williamson was happy to return to action.

Riding a four-game win streak, the Memphis Grizzlies head into a matchup on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans, who have also won four straight. Even with their active win streak, the Pelicans are just 12-32 on the season, mainly due to getting hit with a massive injury bug.

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been ruled out for Friday night's game at the Memphis Grizzlies. Williamson sat out Monday night's victory over Utah with a non-COVID illness and New Orleans announced on Thursday that he would remain out on Friday “due to return to play reconditioning from illness.

The New Orleans Pelicans release an injury update for Zion Williamson heading into Monday's game with the Utah Jazz.

January 22, 2020 was one of the most anticipated nights in New Orleans Pelicans' history. It was the night Zion Williamson made his NBA debut after being selected with the No. 1 draft pick the summer before.

This season, Zion is averaging 21.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, as he continues to be one of the NBA’s best paint scorers. The Pelicans hope that he can keep this up and stay healthy as he is an integral part of their future.

The Hornets ran their fourth quarter lead to a whopping 33 points, a season high, in a game that was never in doubt. When Nick Smith Jr. cashed a three-pointer to extend Charlotte's lead to 33, he became the ninth Hornet player to hit a three on the evening, tying a team record.

While superstars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander do not care about market size, that may not be the case here. ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith offered some insight into the matter on an episode of First Take.