NBA: Zion Williamson scores 22 in return, Pelicans fall to Wolves

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts after his slam dunk in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NEW ORLEANS — Zion Williamson symbolically announced his return from a 27-game injury absence with a breakaway dunk in which he rotated 360 degrees in the air while throwing down a crowd-pleasing, double-clutch, roundhouse jam.

“The dunk was crazy just knowing how long he’s been out and to see that he could still do that,” Pelicans point guard Dejounte Murray said after the Pelicans’ 104-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. “I’m glad he played with the confidence and the joy.”

To Williamson, attempting that dunk in his first game back from a left hamstring strain wasn’t so much a bold play as “another day at the office.”

READ: NBA: CJ McCollum scores 50, Pelicans halt 11-game skid

“I definitely feel like my legs are already under me,” said Williamson, who scored 22 points in just under 28 minutes.

“The focus I had during this rehab was a bit more extreme,” Williamson added. “I feel like I didn’t even miss a beat, but gained a beat.”

Williamson also had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block on Wolves center Rudy Gobert. After a few minutes on the court, he revved up the crowd with a soaring two-handed dunk of CJ McCollum’s long alley-oop lob.

“It’s incredible, his ability to impact the basketball game when he’s on the floor,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “He had a little bit of rust, but that’s as good as I’ve seen him after being out for as long as he’s been.

“It’s a credit to Zion, the work that he’s been putting in.”

READ: NBA: Zion Williamson puts up 34 as Pelicans push past Pacers

Green said Williamson was on minutes restriction that was “roughly” about the time he was in the game. But Green inserted Williamson in a starting lineup that also included Murray, marking the first time the two have played together.

Williamson’s two breakaway dunks in the third quarter resulted from aggressive defensive by both of them near mid-court, swarming Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, and later Julius Randle, and poking the ball away.

“Our chemistry is there,” Williamson said.

Added Green: “That was a fun segment. That’s a small sample size of what this team is capable of.”

The crowd cheered when Williamson emerged from the tunnel for warm-ups before tip-off and again when he was announced as a starter.

READ: NBA: Zion Williamson, Pelicans aim for playoff success

Williamson, the first overall pick out of Duke in the 2019 NBA Draft, had played in just six of New Orleans’ previous 36 games this season, averaging 22.7 points, eight rebounds and 5.3 assists.

The Pelicans (7-30) fell to 2-5 when Williamson plays this season, but went 5-25 without him, including 4-23 during the past 27 games.

The Pelicans also have a game on Wednesday night against Portland, but Green declined to forecast whether Williamson would be cleared to play games on consecutive nights at this point in his recovery.

Williamson said he, too, would have to consult with the team about that on Wednesday.