Tyreke Evans injured his ankle on his debut for the New Orleans Pelicans in a pre-season victory over the Houston Rockets.

The 24-year-old, who joined the Pelicans as a free agent in the summer, suffered the injury early in the second quarter of the game and was quickly assisted off the court.

"It's just a sprain," Evans told reporters. "Yeah, it definitely was [scary]. Hopefully I'm back before the season starts. I just got to get treatment on it."

Despite his insistence that the problem is only minor, the Pelicans are awaiting the results from an MRI scan to find out if there was any damage to the ligaments.

Evans has averaged 17.5 points per game since making his NBA debut with the Sacramento Kings in 2009.