Zion Williamson stats tonight: LaMelo Ball's Hornets spoil Pelicans star's big return game (Jan. 25)

Zion Williamson made his 11th appearance of the season on Saturday after missing time due to injuries, suspensions and illnesses. Despite the long absence, he showed little sign of rust in his return game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Although the Hornets triumphed 123-92, Williamson delivered a solid performance, recording 28 points and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. He shot an efficient 11-for-20.

Here are Zion Williamson's full stats:

PLAYER	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OREB	DREB	STL	BLK	TO	PF	=+/-
Zion Williamson	26:11	28	11	2	11	20	55.0	0	0	0.0	6	8	75.0	3	8	1	1	4	4	-20

Williamson contributed five points in the first quarter, as the Hornets outscored the Pelicans 31-23. He then added 10 more points in the second quarter, finishing with 15 points in the first half of his return.

However, the Pelicans continued to struggle, trailing by 18 points at halftime.

Williamson was scoreless in the third quarter, as the Hornets extended their lead again with a 30-23 advantage. In the final quarter, Zion Williamson led the Pelicans' offense with 13 points, but his teammates only contributed 11 points, while the Hornets scored 30 to seal a dominant 31-point win.

Trey Murphy III finished with 16 points, while Jordan Hawkins and Yves Missi added 14 and 12 points respectively for the Pelicans.

LaMelo Ball posted 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Hornets, while Miles Bridges, also returning, scored 22 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.

The Hornets had a well-rounded offensive effort, with Josh Green contributing 13 points and reserves Seth Curry and Vasilije Micic adding 16 and 11 points respectively.

Coach K offers Zion Williamson advice to avoid injuries

Zion Williamson’s former college coach, Mike Krzyzewski, shared some advice for the New Orleans Pelicans star as he continues to battle injuries throughout his career. Williamson played a career-high 70 games in the 2023-24 season but was sidelined during the playoffs due to an injury sustained in the play-in tournament.

He appeared in 61 games in the 2020-21 season but has played fewer than 30 games in three other seasons, including this one, and missed the entire 2021-22 season due to injury.

In an interview with Andy Katz, Coach K emphasized the importance of Williamson staying in good physical condition.

“He has to come back from those but he also has to maintain a level of conditioning that won’t produce those injuries,” the coach said (per Basketball Forever. “With how high he jumps and the force that he does, it’s a different landing if you weigh 20 pounds more or 20 pounds less.”

“I love Zion and I’m sorry that he’s had all these injuries. You’re never completely the same if you have an injury during the season and then come back. At the end of the season, you have a whole offseason and you can get back to 100 percent. In-season injuries are very, very difficult but he’s had a number of them.”

This season, Williamson is posting career lows in points per game (21.9) and field-goal percentage (48.5%).