NEW ORLEANS — Zion Williamson scored 22 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in his return from a 27-game absence due to a left hamstring strain.
Williamson played 27 minutes on Tuesday in a 104-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was just his seventh game of the season for a Pelicans team that has been ravaged by injuries.
Dejounte Murray, a trade acquisition over the summer who missed 17 games after fracturing his hand to start the season, had yet to play with Williamson this year but the duo worked well together in their debut. Twice, a Murray steal resulted in a Williamson breakaway dunk — one of them a 360-degree, double-clutch, roundhouse jam.
They just needed more help against the Wolves. CJ McCollum, who scored 50 points just two games earlier, shot 1 of 14 while Yves Missi and Herbert Jones combined for just 12 points.
Injuries have plagued Williamson’s career, limiting the 2019 No. 1 pick to 190 games over 5½ seasons. Specifically, Williamson has had persistent issues with his hamstrings over the past few seasons.
A hamstring strain sidelined him for the final 45 games of the 2022-23 season, when he was selected as an All-Star for the second time. Williamson played a career-high 70 games last season but exited a play-in game because of a hamstring strain that sidelined him for the Pelicans’ first-round playoff loss.
Tuesday’s loss dropped the Pelicans to 3-21 over their last 24 games.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
