Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Pelicans target next week for Williamson’s debut
Zion Williamson, the top choice in last summer’s NBA draft, is scheduled to make his regular-season debut Jan. 22 when the Pelicans host the the Spurs, Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin said Wednesday.
“Everything’s moving in the right direction,” Griffin said. “I really believe very strongly he is a radically improved physical version of himself in way that frankly we took the extra time to ensure.”
Williamson has missed the Pelicans’ first 41 games this season while rehabilitating from arthroscopic surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his right knee.
The timeline set for the former Duke star’s return calls for Williamson to miss three more games.
Griffin also indicated that Williamson’s minutes will be closely monitored and likely limited for the time being.
The Pelicans have gone 15-26 without Williamson, but have won nine of their last 13 to pull within four games of the final Western Conference playoff spot with half the season left.
Williamson returned to practice Jan. 2 and recently has been seen dunking during Pelicans pre-game warm-up sessions.
But because of the recent frequency of games and travel days, along with having several other players injured, the Pelicans haven’t been able to string many higherintensity, five-on-five practices together.
Williamson played in four preseason games before his injury, averaging 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Pistons end 3-game skid: Sekou Doumbouya scored a season-high 24 points and the Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak with a 116-103 win over the Celtics on Wednesday night in Boston.
Markieff Morris matched his season best with 23 points. Derrick Rose added 22 points and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk had a season-high 21. The Pistons shot a seasonbest 60.3% from the field.
Andre Drummond added 13 points and 13 rebounds to post his 34th double-double of the season.
The Pistons opened the fourth with a 17-5 run, capped by a dunk by Drummond, to take a 108-87 lead with 7:05 to play.
The Celtics were without second-leading scorer Jayson Tatum, who was sidelined with soreness in his right knee. But he’s expected to travel with the team for its game against the Bucks on Thursday night.
Harris powers 76ers: Tobias Harris scored 34 points, including two big baskets in the final two minutes that proved to be the difference, as the 76ers beat the Nets 117-106 in Philadelphia.
Ben Simmons had 20 points and 11 assists for the 76ers, who improved to 19-2 at home.
The Nets have lost nine of its last 11 overall and six straight away from home.