Zion has 22 points in emphatic return from injury

NEW ORLEANS -- Zion Williamson scored 22 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block in his return from a 27-game absence due to a left hamstring strain.

Williamson played 27 minutes Tuesday in a 104-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was just his seventh game of the season for a Pelicans team that has been ravaged by injuries.

Dejounte Murray, a trade acquisition over the summer who missed 17 games after fracturing a hand to start the season, had yet to play with Williamson this season but the duo worked well together in their debut. Twice, a Murray steal resulted in a Williamson breakaway dunk -- one of them a 360-degree, double-clutch, roundhouse jam.

They just needed more help against the Wolves. CJ McCollum, who scored 50 points just two games earlier, shot 1-of-14 while Yves Missi and Herbert Jones combined for just 12 points.

Injuries have plagued Williamson's career, limiting the 2019 No. 1 pick to 190 games over 5½ seasons. Specifically, Williamson has had persistent issues with his hamstrings over the past few seasons.

A hamstring strain sidelined him for the final 45 games of the 2022-23 season, when he was selected as an All-Star for the second time. Williamson played a career-high 70 games last season but exited a play-in game because of a hamstring strain that sidelined him for the Pelicans' first-round playoff loss.

Tuesday's loss dropped the Pelicans to 3-21 over their past 24 games.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps and The Associated Press contributed to this story.