In what seemed like a rare occurrence last season, the Pelicans got a look at a full lineup in their opening road win over the Grizzlies. That meant not just guard CJ McCollum and forward Brandon Ingram, but yes, former No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, too.
Williamson not only played his first game since Jan. 2, but scored 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He threw in a couple of nasty dunks for good measure.
“For me, I think it’s going to be a few games,” he said, via Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “Just getting that in-game flow back. No matter how much I work out, train, play pickup, it’s nothing like a real NBA game.”
The Grizzlies suggested they’re not overly concerned after dropping their season opener to the Pelicans at home. This despite the fact center Steven Adams is out for the year and suspended star Ja Morant will miss the first 25 games.
“We’re still trying to figure it out,” forward Ziaire Williams said, via Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “It’s still early. Still trying to figure out our new offense, getting more chemistry with the new guys and stuff like that. We’re not stressed. We’ll figure it out.”
Coach Taylor Jenkins added similar sentiments. “I’m not worried about the result, I’m worried about how we play,” he said.
The first game without Damian Lillard didn’t go so well, as the Blazers fell on the road to the Clippers. But there was some promise, as guard Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score 20 points, guard Anfernee Simons had 18 and rookie Scoot Henderson debuted with 11.
“There’s going to be some nights that he looks 19,” coach Chauncey Billups said of Henderson, via Aaron Fentress of the Oregonian. “And this was one of those nights.”
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