Zion Williamson brings dunks but not a win in return for Pelicans from 27-game absence

On By Littum

Zion Williamson returned to action Tuesday night after missing 27 games with a hamstring strain.

It was a welcome sight for New Orleans Pelicans fans, and there were dunks with highlights. But it did not result in a Pelicans victory.

There was no sign of rust for Williamson, who put on a show in front of a New Orleans home crowd. But Anthony Edwards powered the Timberwolves to a 104-97 victory. The loss dropped the Pelicans to 7-30 in an injury-plagued season.

The good news for New Orleans is that Williamson appeared to be fully recovered as he had 22 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. He also led the game with three dunks, one of which wouldn’t have been out of place in a dunk contest.

Williamson got on the board early with a putback off a missed Herbert Jones layup. His second bucket was a highlight reel. Williamson drove the court on a break and caught a long lob from CJ McCollum on the baseline for a two-handed alley-oop slam to cut the Pelicans’ early deficit to 16-8.

But he saved his best for the second half. The Pelicans tied the game at 54 at halftime and then scored the first three buckets of the third quarter. Two of those were Williamson dunks, the first of which Williamson found himself all alone in transition after picking Edwards’ pocket.

He made the most of the moment with a 360 tomahawk slam.

The Pelicans extended their lead to 64-56 midway through the quarter. But the Timberwolves took control from there, leading throughout the fourth quarter in part because of a big night from Edwards.

Edwards led the Timberwolves with 32 points, nine rebounds and three assists and was light from long range on a 7-of-11 effort from beyond the 3-point arc.

Williamson has now played in seven of the Pelicans’ 37 games in another injury-plagued season. Amid a rash of injuries to several key players, New Orleans is off to the worst start in the Western Conference. Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray, McCollum, Jones and Trey Murphy III have all missed significant time with injuries this season along with Williamson.

But it’s Williamson’s injuries that have become a familiar refrain since the Pelicans selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Williamson has played in just 191 of 427 Pelicans regular season games due to various injuries since joining the team.

He has played in 29 or fewer games in three different seasons, including missing the entire 2021-22 campaign with a foot injury. Williamson played 70 games in the 2023-24 season, the most of his NBA career.

He returns to a roster still without fellow former All-Star Ingram, who has been sidelined for the past 12 games with an ankle injury. Murray, McCollum, Jones and Murphy have all returned from extended absences, although Murphy missed Tuesday’s game with a sprained ankle.

Despite Williamson’s injury history, the Pelicans signed him to a five-year, $197 million max extension in 2022 that runs through the 2027-28 season. The last three seasons of the deal are reportedly not guaranteed due to a game-played clause that was triggered as he played just 29 games in the 2022-23 season.

When healthy, Williamson has been an impressive interior force on the court. For his career, he has averaged 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 58.7% from the field.