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Welcome back to the air, Zion Williamson.
The New Orleans Pelicans star took the court for his first regular-season game since Jan. 2 and helped lead his team to a 111-104 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists behind 9-of-17 shooting from the field, but it was multiple monster dunks that stood out.
He posterized reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. and also threw down an alley-oop, which drew plenty of reaction from social media:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
ZION POSTER.
WOW 🤯 pic.twitter.com/BOG3bLGaM6
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
ZION ALLEY OOP POSTER 🤯 pic.twitter.com/8WemtyWvgp
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
Zion dunks are back 😤 pic.twitter.com/N9BbgyoELw
NBA @NBA
Zion doing what Zion does. #KiaTipOff23 pic.twitter.com/2Pzn0PgUsh
Wil Lutz @wil_lutz5
Man it’s good to see Zion back on the court 💪🏼 https://t.co/ivOUYeQg0J
Will Guillory @WillGuillory
Zion just bodied the reigning DPOY and followed it up with another dunk.
Looks like the hammy is OK.
Andrew Lopez @_Andrew_Lopez
Yeah those were two nasty dunks by Zion to late in the second quarter in Memphis.
Ryan Jatho @RyanTalksHoops
I know Zion isn’t in duke shape yet, but the fact that he can still get up this high is unreal. pic.twitter.com/rWnyVCFmcb
Holland oats @vMitchull
Zion back? pic.twitter.com/NrAm7OBItq
Pro Pels Talk @ProPelsTalk
The new Crescent City Connection
BI ➡️ Zion 🔥🔥🔥
Andrew Smith @DruProductions
ZION IS STEALING SOULS! pic.twitter.com/KSxwDrDrum
Mark Schindler @MG_Schindler
Zion Williamson is playing basketball, and I just wanna soak it in, because I’m happy to watch that dude healthy
That Williamson was flying around was a welcome sign, as his health has been a major storyline since he entered the league. He played just 29 games last season and 24 games as a rookie in 2019-20, but Wednesday was a reminder of his incredible ceiling.
It wasn’t a one-man show, as CJ McCollum finished with 24 points and six assists; Brandon Ingram did a little bit of everything with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals; and Jonas Valančiūnas notched a double-double.
That is plenty of talent on the roster, and the Pelicans could be a legitimate contender with a healthy Williamson.
The opening win was an ideal start, and he will look to keep things rolling with a game against the New York Knicks on Saturday.
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