After a long absence of 62 days, Zion Williamson finally made his return to the floor with the New Orleans Pelicans. His presence was undeniably impactful, but it wasn’t enough to secure a victory, with the Pelicans losing 104-97 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night at the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans, who are 7-30, were hoping Williamson’s return would help them capitalize on their momentum after their recent back-to-back victories — their second such victory this season. Unfortunately, the team struggled to find its shooting rhythm and found no solution against the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards, who was on fire, scoring 21 of his 32 points in the first half and making 7 of his 11 three-point attempts.
“Anthony Edwards is in great shape right now,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “He is one of the elite young stars in the league. » Williamson also showed his elite status, finishing the night with 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in 28 minutes. He delighted the crowd with an impressive 360 dunk at the start of the second half.
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“He worked hard to get here,” Green said. “When he plays at his best, we become a better team. » The Pelicans fought hard against the Timberwolves (19-17), who reached the Western Conference finals last season.
Before his injury, Williamson was posting impressive averages of 22.7 points, 8 rebounds and 5.3 assists over six games. “He’s a force on the basketball court,” Green said. “We all know that. But when he enters the floor, he brings a certain energy to our team. We are delighted to have him back. » However, the Pelicans were without Trey Murphy, who injured his left ankle during their victory against the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
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On a positive note, this was the first game this season where Williamson and Dejounte Murray were on the field at the same time. Murray, who is coming off his first triple-double as a Pelican, led the team with a career-high 29 points, surpassing his previous high of 26 points against Oklahoma City in December. “It’s been a number of games since we had our players on the field at the same time,” Green said. “The more we can get some of our best players on the field, the better. We will be able to gain momentum, camaraderie and consistency on the field. »
Unfortunately for the Pelicans, they didn’t get much support from CJ McCollum, who scored 50 points Friday and 25 Sunday, but struggled Tuesday. McCollum made just 1 of 14 shots and converted just 1 of his seven three-point attempts to finish with just five points. Collectively, the Pelicans posted a disappointing 37% shooting success rate and only 30% from three-point range.
Looking ahead, the Pelicans will be back on the floor Wednesday to host the Portland Trail Blazers, after splitting their previous two matchups this season.
