Pelicans’ Zion Williamson soaks in comeback despite loss to Hornets

The New Orleans Pelicans‘ performance against Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night they left a lot to be desired as they fell 123-92 on the road. Head coach Willie Green made no excuses for his team’s performance after the game, deciding to accept defeat and move on.

Although the scoreboard didn’t look the way they would have liked when the night ended, the Pelicans have one significant positive to take away from the game. Star power forward Zion Williamson he returned to the lineup and spent 26 minutes on the court. Williamson led all scorers with 28 points while shooting 11 of 20 from the field. He also added 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.

While Williamson was happy to have the opportunity to return to the floor, he understands that the team, like him, still has a ways to go.

“It felt great to be back out there with the team,” Williamson said. “Even though I didn’t play in the first end of the back-to-back, you could say we were generally slow.” There were times when we were trying to pick it up, but Charlotte would hit a timely 3. Just one of those nights for us.”

A specific aspect of the game that frustrated Williamson was the inconsistent amount of minutes he was given. He felt himself being pulled off the floor whenever he got into a rhythm, but he understands that the team is trying to help him avoid it another part of the injury report.

“I feel good, I’m definitely still frustrated with the minutes distribution,” Williamson said. “I feel like once I find that tempo of the game, I’m going to be shut down.” But I understand why they do it.”

The Pelicans have made progress since the beginning of the 2025 portion of the schedule. They doubled their win total and won four in a row, their longest winning streak of the season. Contributing to their recent success has been a young quarterback Trey Murphy III.

Murphy compiled more high-level performances latelyincluding multiple 30+ point performances. Against the Hornets, Murphy had 16 points, four rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals. Murphy’s performance caught the attention of Williamson.

“In terms of numbers and eye tests, he’s improved in every aspect of this game, even shooting,” Williamson said. “I can’t praise him enough for the work he’s put in.” Grows as a leader on and off the field. He just does Trey things, but even more.”

Williamson, Murphy and the rest of the Pelicans return to action on Monday night, wrapping up their road trip against the Toronto Raptors. Tipoff is set for 6:30pm CT.