Pelicans: Zion Williamson Returns, Ready To Challenge The Kings

Pelicans host another top contender in the Western Conference during their six-game home stretch.

New Orleans, LA - The New Orleans Pelicans (6-7) will host the Sacramento Kings (8-4) on Monday night in the Smoothie King Center. Zion Williamson returns to the lineup after missing Saturday night's loss to the Timberwolves. The Kings played back-to-back and won against the Mavericks on Sunday. Tonight is the first game between the Kings and Pelicans this season.

De'Aaron Fox leads the Kings in scoring with 32.2 points per game, which would lead the NBA, although he's only played in six games this season due to injury. Fox has scored at least 28 points in each game this year—the New Orleans native averages 23 points per game against the Pelicans for his career. 

Mar 2, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) during the second quarter at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

Fox isn't a one-person band, as his running mate Domantas Sabonis averages 19.8 points, 12.9 rebounds (2nd in NBA), and 7.9 assists. Getting Williamson back should force Sabonis to play both ends of the court all night. New Orleans has found success recently, establishing an inside presence with Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas. Williamson last played against the Kings in April of 2021. The Pelicans averaged the fifth most points in the paint over the last three games (56.7).

New Orleans has made a concerted effort to feature Valanciunas in recent games. He scored a season-high 26 points in Saturday's loss to the Wolves, and in the Nuggets victory, he had a season-high 18 shot attempts. Getting the big man involved early is crucial for the Pelicans offense not to become stagnant. 

While Williamson is back in the lineup, New Orleans awaits the return of Jose Alvarado to make his season debut. His game status has updated from doubtful to questionable over the last couple of games. Coach Willie Green says he's really close to seeing his first action of the year. 

Sharpshooter Matt Ryan is questionable for Monday's game with right calf soreness. CJ McCollum (lung), Trey Murphy III (knee), and Larry Nance, Jr. (rib) are all out for the matchup. New Orleans hopes to get a couple of these players back later this month. Sacramento won the season series 2-1 last year by an average of 16.5 points. Only six games separated the third seed from the eighth seed in last year's Western Conference standings, so these matchups are important for both teams. 

These teams meet again on Wednesday night back in the Smoothie King Center. They played one more game in January back in Sacramento.