Pelicans' Tyreke Evans to undergo MRI, status unclear for Game 2
As Tyreke Evans' teammates headed for the New Orleans Pelicans team buses and some dinner late Saturday afternoon after falling to the Warriors 106-99, Evans headed for an MRI on his left knee.
Evans left the game in the second quarter with 5:17 on the clock after banging knees with Golden State's Andre Iguodala. Doctors initially diagnosed Evans with a knee bruise, after watching him run on his knee and stretch it in the hallway by New Orleans' locker room.
However, Evans was not able to jump well and says he felt his knee pop when he and Iguodala collided.
"He tried to come back," Coach Monty Williams said. "He got hit pretty hard on his knee and something happened. I'm not quite sure yet. I think he had a little bit of swelling in his knee, so we don't know if he jarred something or if he just had an irritation. It's not something he had pre-existing."
This was the first playoff game of Evans' NBA career. In fact, the first for Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon and Alexis Ajinca as well.
The first quarter proved to be a tough learning experience for the Pelicans, who only scored 13 points in the first period, an all-time franchise low for first quarter playoff scoring. After that, the Pelicans settled in, made up some ground and pulled within 7 points of Golden State in the end.
Davis says New Orleans missed Evans' presence at point guard.
"Yeah, it's tough. He's one of our goâto guys," Davis said. "Tyreke is one of our core guys. Anytime you lose a core guy, especially in the playoffs, it's tough. So hopefully it's nothing serious, and he can come back in Game 2. If not, Jrue did an excellent job. Norris did an excellent job, and they're going to have to step up and fill the shoes."
The Pelicans face the Warriors again Monday night at Oracle Arena. Evans' participation depends in the results of Saturday evening's MRI. Williams says he's not intimidated at the possibility of having to go without Evans in Game 2.
"We'll see where he is, but as far as being painted in the corner, we've dealt with this all year long with our team," Williams said. "It's not a big deal for us. Obviously we'd like to have Jrue and Tyreke healthy, but Norris did a good job. He didn't shoot it especially well, but I thought he did a good job of settling us down. Our guard play was a lot better in the second half. We'll see where Tyreke is tomorrow, and we'll make our adjustments from there."
If Evans can't play, the Pelicans backcourt will certainly be shorthanded. Jrue Holiday is still working back from a stress reaction in his leg that cost him 40 games. He's been playing off the bench since his return.
The training staff initially wanted to keep Holiday around the 15-minute mark, but he played 21 minutes in Saturday's game, scoring 5 points and dishing 5 assists.
Cole, a 2-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat before his Pelicans tenure, ended Saturday's matchup with 33 minutes, 8 points and 6 assists.
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