NBA Notes: Pelicans, Zion Williamson, Rockets, Reed Sheppard, Grizzlies

Pelicans

The Pelicans got a pretty loud reminder of what life is like with Zion Williamson… and without him.

New Orleans managed just 98 points on Saturday while Williamson sat out the second night of a back-to-back.

Two days later? The Pelicans put up 143 on Chicago, eight players in double figures, and their star forward bulldozed his way to 29.

That’s a different team.

Interim coach James Borrego picked up his first win since taking over for Willie Green and did it with the kind of across-the-board effort coaches dream about.

“You couldn’t ask for a better team win when you look at the stat sheet,” Borrego told reporters, via Les East of NOLA.com.

The Pelicans aren’t whole yet, but they looked a lot closer to it with No. 1 back in the mix.

Rockets

Reed Sheppard’s numbers didn’t exactly scream “breakout” on Monday night (2-of-9 from the field in Phoenix, but the box score never tells the whole story.

Sheppard played 27 minutes, handed out five assists, compiled three steals, and the Rockets were plus-six with him on the floor. That’s now eight straight games Houston has won his minutes.

And the shooting? Still elite overall. The 21-year-old guard is at 13.1 points and 3.2 assists on 49 percent shooting and a sizzling 47.1 percent from three.

Translation: Sheppard looks like a guy taking the leap.

“The real thing is the opportunity he’s getting, and he’s taking advantage of it,” coach Ime Udoka said, via William Guillory of The Athletic. “We needed him to take that step this year. He’s really been great.”

Sheppard started in place of Kevin Durant on Monday, and with KD out again Wednesday for personal reasons, he may get another run with the first unit.

Grizzlies

Cedric Coward just keeps checking boxes.

A few months ago, he was the mystery of the draft — a late-bloomer with only six Division I games on tape after dealing with a partially torn rotator cuff.

Now? He looks like a rookie Memphis absolutely nailed.

“He looks completely comfortable at this level,” a Western Conference scout told Grant Afseth of RG.org. “He’s outperforming even the optimistic projections.”

The Grizzlies traded up to No. 11 to get him, betting his game would translate against real NBA athletes. Early returns say they bet right.