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

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Zion Williamson looked no worse for wear in his return to the court Tuesday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Zion Williamson made his return to the court Tuesday night following a 27-game absence with a hamstring strain.

It was a welcome sight for fans of the New Orleans Pelicans and highlight-reel dunks. But it didn’t result in a Pelicans win.

There were no signs of rust for Williamson, who put on a show in front of a home New Orleans crowd. But Anthony Edwards powered the Timberwolves to a 104-97 win. The loss dropped the Pelicans to 7-30 in a season plagued by injuries.

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

Zion puts on a show

Williamson got on the board early with a putback of a missed Herbert Jones layup. His second bucket was one for the highlight reel. Williamson ran 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, then scored the first three buckets of the third quarter. Two of them were Williamson dunks, the first of which Williamson found himself all alone in the frontcourt 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 and led the entire fourth quarter in part due to a big night from Edwards.

Edwards led the Timberwolves with 30 points, nine rebounds and three assists and was lights out from long-distance on a 7-of-11 effort from beyond the 3-point arc.

Can Zion stay healthy this time?

Williamson has now played in seven of the Pelicans’ 37 games in another season beset by injury. 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…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-07 18:12:00

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