National Basketball Association

Pelicans' Zion Williamson makes first appearance in an NBA game since January

Published Oct. 11, 2023 10:14 a.m. ET

Zion Williamson had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists in 16 minutes during the Orlando Magic's 122-105 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the preseason opener for both clubs on Tuesday night.

It was Williamson’s first appearance in a game since he injured his right hamstring in Philadelphia last Jan. 2. After missing his first two shots, he scored his first points on a crowd-pleasing, two-handed dunk. He later added a 13-foot running floater, a short turnaround and a layup to go with four free throws.

"He looked good. He’s unstoppable. So he’s going to do what he wants out there on the court. It’s just a matter of us getting our spacing right, playing with the right pace, tempo, getting stops and getting out and running," teammate CJ McCollum said. "But he’s going to figure it out. He’s going to be successful. We just got to make sure we continue to push the pace.

"Obviously, we want our best players to be able to play every night and this is a step in that direction. And it’s an opportunity for the fans to see the work that he’s put in — the work that we’ve put in collectively to try to be better this season."

The Orlando starters played the first few minutes of the second half. Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 18 points in 19 minutes. Paolo Banchero scored 12, highlighted by his driving, one-handed dunk between Williamson and Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas. Banchero also grabbed six rebounds in 20 minutes.

Eleventh overall pick Jett Howard (Michigan coach Juwan Howard's son) scored eight points for the Magic, and No. 6 Anthony Black added two points. Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said prior to opening tip that Joe Ingles was getting a veteran night off.

Jordan Hawkins (UConn), who was New Orleans’ top pick (14th overall) this summer, made his first 3-point attempt and finished with nine points on 4-of-14 shooting. Former Ohio State star E.J. Liddell, who was the Pelicans’ second-round pick in 2022 but had a major knee injury and missed all of his rookie season, played 17 minutes and scored two points.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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