Pelicans sit Zion Williamson with bruised lower back for rematch with Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS — The New Orleans Pelicans ruled star forward Zion Williamson out of their game at Minnesota on Friday with a bruised lower back, two days after he scored 29 points on 12-for-16 shooting with eight rebounds and three steals in a victory over the Timberwolves.

The oft-injured Williamson had a 27-game absence earlier this season due to a strained left hamstring and has been sidelined for various reasons on several other occasions. The first overall pick in the 2019 draft has played in only 214 games over his six NBA seasons, including 30 games in 2024-25 for the struggling Pelicans. His first two career triple-doubles have come in the last three weeks. The two-time All-Star is averaging 24.6 points and 28.6 minutes per game.

New Orleans, which is second-to-last in the Western Conference, has also been without key players Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones and Brandon Boston to long-term injuries.