Los Angeles:Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans opened their NBA season with a punishing 130-108 victory over the star-studded Nets in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
Brandon Ingram scored 28 points and Williamson — playing his first regular-season game in more than 17 months — scored 25 as he returns from the foot injury that sidelined him for a season.
“It’s crazy,” said Williamson, the 2019 top draft pick who at 22 has already battled a raft of injuries. “Simply playing the game I love, that I didn’t get to play for a long time, it was a breath of fresh air.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” Williamson added. “I’m still learning my teammates… I’m just excited to go.”
Williamson helped the Pels build an 18-4 lead midway through the first quarter, easily outpacing Brooklyn’s Ben Simmons — another former top draft pick who has also battled injuries.
Australian Simmons made his debut for the Nets, who acquired him from Philadelphia last season as he battled a back injury for which he had surgery in May.
Nets star Kevin Durant, who stayed put in Brooklyn after rocking the league with a trade demand in June, kept the hosts in touch, scoring 21 of his 32 points in the first half.
But the Pelicans out-scored the Nets 40-28 in the third quarter to take control for good. They never trailed and led by as many as 26 points, parlaying 21 offensive rebounds into 36 points.
Ingram was a model of efficiency, racking up his 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting.
In contrast, Kyrie Irving connected on just six of 19 shots for 15 points and Simmons scored just four points before fouling out.
The second night of the season saw a couple of nail-biters, as the Suns erased a 22-point third-quarter deficit to edge the Dallas Mavericks 107-105 in Phoenix. In Memphis the Grizzlies thwarted the New York Knicks’ comeback bid for a 115-112 overtime victory.
The Mavs, led by 35 points from Luka Doncic, appeared to be on cruise control against a Suns team they eliminated in last season’s playoffs.
Despite the struggles of star point guard Chris Paul, the Suns found a way back, slicing the deficit to one point with 1:25 left in the third quarter.
The Suns took the lead on Cameron Payne’s basket late in the fourth, and after Doncic tied it up at 105-105 with 32.8sec remaining, got the win thanks to Damion Lee’s off-balance jumper in the waning seconds.
Devin Booker’s 28 points led five Suns players in double figures, that included reserve Lee, who scored all 11 of his in the final period.