Zion Williamson scores 14 in his return from injury in the Pelicans’ 125-118 loss to Denver

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson returned to the New Orleans Pelicans’ lineup on Wednesday night, scoring 14 points in a 125-118 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Williamson played 29 minutes after missing eight games with a strained left hamstring. He also had six rebounds, five assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

“He was great. He got us off to a really good start,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said, referring to the Pelicans’ 23-10, first-quarter lead.

“More than anything, just having Zion out there for our spirit as a team, as a city, as an organization, is phenomenal,” Borrego said. “We feel like we’ve got a shot every night when he’s on the floor.”

Borrego said his staff was mindful of Williamson’s minutes and didn’t want to overexert him in his first action since Nov. 2.

“He looked good. He looked impressive, Borrego said. “The game plan was built around him and he was a willing passer tonight. They showed him bodies. He generated a lot of quality shots for us tonight.”

Williamson declined to speak with reporters after the game.

Rookie Derik Queen, who started opposite Nuggets star Nikola Jokic at center, was New Orleans’ leading scorer with a career-high 30 points and nine assists. Queen said his output stemmed in no small part from the attention Denver defenders were paying to Williamson and high-scoring wing Trey Murphy III.

“Z’s presence and Murph’s presence is huge because they’re 1 and 2 out there,” Queen said. “They just trust me to play my game and try to make all the right decisions.”

The Pelicans (2-13) won two games after Williamson first went out of the lineup, but have since lost seven straight.

Williamson, who also missed a game earlier this season with a foot injury, has now played in six of the Pelicans’ first 15 games, averaging 21.3 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Entering Wednesday, Williamson, the No. 1 pick out of Duke in 2019, had played in 219 of 486 regular-season games in his NBA career.

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