WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Zion Williamson contributed 25 points on his return from a one-year absence to help the New Orleans Pelicans crush the Brooklyn Nets 130-108, while No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero's 27-point effort wasn't enough in the Orlando Magic's 113-109 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
Williamson, who had missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a broken right foot, shot 11 of 22 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds, coupled with Brandon Ingram's 28 points and CJ McCollum's 21. Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Williamson said it was just a "decent starter performance", with the top pick in the 2019 draft adding that there was "a lot of room for improvement".
The Pelicans stormed into a 20-4 lead from the opening tip, and Williamson's layup made it 32-14 after the first quarter.
The Nets made their comeback efforts afterwards to pull the game back at 58-50 at halftime, before Williamson and Ingram shone in the third quarter as the Pelicans pulled away.
Kevin Durant finished with a game-high 32 points for the Nets, but his teammates failed to provide much assistance, with Kyrie Irving managing 15 points on 6-of-19 shooting.
In his first NBA game, Banchero shot 11 of 18 from the floor to go along with nine rebounds and five assists, but could not stop the Pistons from rolling in an encounter featuring many potential future stars.
First-round picks Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren had 19 and 14 points respectively for the Pistons, and last year's No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham registered 18 points and 10 assists.
33-year-old forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who had been acquired from the Utah Jazz, led the Pistons' charge with 24 points.
Jalen Suggs, the No. 5 pick last year, scored 21 points for the Magic.
Despite the Magic going into the second quarter with a 28-17 lead, the Pistons outscored 40-27 in the second quarter to turn the tides, and held on to their leading position back from the locker room.
Ja Morant scored 34 points as the Memphis Grizzlies edged the New York Knicks 115-112 in overtime.
The Phoenix Suns erased a 22-point deficit in the third quarter to squeak by the Dallas Mavericks 107-105.
DeMar DeRozan started the new season strongly with 37 points, powering the Chicago Bulls past the Miami Heat 116-108.
The Toronto Raptors overcame Donovan Mitchell's 31-point performance on his Cleveland Cavaliers debut to emerge victorious, 108-105.
Elsewhere, the Washington Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 114-107, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Houston Rockets 117-107, the Minnesota Timberwolves got past the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-108, the Charlotte Hornets routed the San Antonio Spurs 129-102, the Utah Jazz overpowered the Denver Nuggets 123-102, and the Portland Trail Blazers outplayed the Sacramento Kings 115-108. ■
