Zion Williamson

Brandon Ingram has been ineffective in this series and New Orleans has lost its swagger against Oklahoma City.

This Pelicans team needs some hope, and Zion Williamson provided it with his remarks on Tuesday.

Without their superstar, and with a promising season on the brink of ending, the Pelicans turned to their greatest strength.

No Zion and the season on the line? Brandon Ingram has been here before. Can he carry the Pelicans again? “He’s going to be awesome."

Zion Williamson has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain and will be re-examined in two weeks.

Tuesday was shaping up to be Zion's defining moment as a pro player. Then, suddenly, another injury took it all away.

“We let a really good opportunity slip away,” Willie Green said of the missed chance to secure a top-six spot in the West.

New Orleans needed a win against a tough opponent to avoid a sixth straight defeat. That was when their star stepped up — on both ends.

"We need to show we can defend our home floor and not let teams come in here and kick our a--," Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels said.

Check out some of the action this month in these photos you might have missed.

Sacrifice, hustle plays and clawing for every slight advantage were major themes for the Pelicans on Thursday night.

In the West postseason race, eight teams, many with star power, are separated by eight games entering Friday.

Williamson has always shown flashes of being good defensively, but recently, he's been more consistent.

New Orleans proved it could rise to the occasion and now trails the Clippers by only two games in the West standings.

During his single season at Duke, Williamson recorded 62 dunks, and he hasn't been shy about flexing his dunking skills in New Orleans.

"That's the great thing about the opportunity we have the rest of the way," the Pelicans' star said. "We get to write our own story."

The Pelicans are having some success this season, but it won't mean much if they fall in the Play-In Tournament again.

At 33-22, the Pelicans are having their most successful season in 15 years. Yet even they know they are leaving wins on the table.