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Playing without Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans eliminated the Washington Wizards from playoff contention after picking up a 118-107 win on Friday night.
The Pelicans announced prior to the game that Williamson would rest on Friday, the second game of a back-to-back set. Jrue Holiday led the Pelicans with 28 points while Brandon Ingram had 17 points and J.J. Redick added 15 in place of Williamson in the starting lineup.
Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura scored a team-high 23 points and six rebounds in 37 minutes played. The performance was easily his best during the season restart, though it came too late as the Wizards have lost five straight games with the defeat to the Pelicans.
Rui Hachimura poured in 23 points and grabbed six boards tonight.#WizPelicans | @rui_8mura pic.twitter.com/RtyZ2aIPrp
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) August 8, 2020
Overall, the Wizards faced a tough battle to qualify for the postseason after entering the restart without John Wall, Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans. The team has three games left to play at the Wide World of Sports Complex, which will serve as an extra chance for development.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans’ playoff hopes stayed alive with the win. The team trails the Memphis Grizzlies in eighth place by 2.5 games but is also behind the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs. In all, six teams are within 3.5 games of each other, which will set up an exciting finish.
The Pelicans play next on Sunday vs. the Spurs.
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