Zion Williamson gave his New Orleans Pelicans teammates a taste of what they have been missing the last two weeks. Trey Murphy III, along with rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, showed Williamson what the team is capable of going forward.
Murphy and Fears tied for the team-high with 20 points while Williamson returned from a six-game absence to contribute 18 points and six rebounds as the Pelicans defeated the host Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, 114-104.
Jordan Poole added 16 points for the Pelicans, who picked up just their second road win of the season. New Orleans, which had lost 16 of 17, has now won two in a row for just the second time. Queen grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a game-high six assists.
Williamson, out with a right adductor strain since scoring 25 points in a 104-96 loss to the Golden State Warriors Nov. 29, had a modest three points in the first quarter against the Bulls, but scored eight of the Pelicans’ final 11 points in the first half as New Orleans took the lead.
Murphy, who averaged 26.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5 assists in the past five games coming into Sunday night, had 10 boards to complete the double-double. He and Poole had 11 points in the second half with Fears dropping 15 as the Pelicans defeated the Bulls for the second time this season.
Coby White led Chicago with 20 points and added five rebounds and five assists, but he shot just 1 for 10 from beyond the arc as the Bulls lost their fourth straight home game. The team has dropped eight of nine overall.
Kevin Huerter had four 3-pointers and scored 16 off the bench for Chicago. He kept the Bulls within striking distance with two late 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic, who led the team with eight rebounds, also hit two 3-pointers late in the fourth and finished with 12 points.
Josh Giddey fell short of his season average, scoring just 11 two nights after he had 26 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds in a 129-126 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
