The New Orleans Pelicans have lost another player to injury.
Pelicans guard José Alvarado will be sidelined for at least three weeks due to a hamstring injury, the team announced. According ESPN’s Shams CharaniaAlvarado is expected to miss up to six weeks recovering.
He #pelicans announced today that guard José Alvarado has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain.
An MRI performed this morning confirmed the injury, which occurred during last night’s game against the Nets.
He will be re-examined in approximately 3 weeks. pic.twitter.com/EKMJ5331rA
– New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 12, 2024
Alvarado is now the sixth key rotation player to go down for the Pelicans this season. Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum and Jordan Hawkins are also out with their respective injuries.
Alvarado injured his hamstring in Monday’s 107-105 loss to the Brooklyn Nets at the Smoothie King Center. He played only 18 minutes in the game and finished with three points and a steal after making 1 of 5 field goals.
Alvarado has averaged 10.7 points and 4.5 assists per game this season, his fourth with the Pelicans. He’s shot nearly 42% from behind the arc this month, and had back-to-back 20-point outings last week, including a 27-point, five-assist performance in their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 6.
Alvarado, whom the Cavaliers signed out of Georgia Tech, agreed to a two-year, $9 million contract extension this past offseason.
The Pelicans are just 3-8 this season as they deal with their various injuries. Monday’s loss was the fifth in a row. The team is also entering a difficult six-game stretch, which includes matchups against the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, the undefeated Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets, the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.
New Orleans will face the Thunder on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. If Alvarado misses the full six weeks, he could return in time for the game against the Houston Rockets on December 26.
