New Orleans was off from practice or game action Friday, but still was the source of some excellent NBA news when it announced that Zion Williamson has returned to the Orlando campus to rejoin his teammates. While the rookie standout won’t be able to participate in either of the Pelicans’ remaining scrimmages vs. Denver (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Central on Pelicans.com and the mobile app) and Milwaukee, he could be eligible Thursday for the official restart game vs. Utah as the NBA has confirmed that Williamson began a four-day quarantine Friday night. He is set to be cleared to rejoin the Pelicans ahead of Thursday’s opener against the Jazz
“The most important thing is I hope everything went OK with him,” center Derrick Favors said Saturday morning after shootaround, referring to Williamson leaving to attend to a family matter. “He went away for personal reasons. I know everybody is excited to have him back. He’s excited to be back. We’re just happy he was able to come back and be in a good place mentally and physically.”
Other notes after shootaround in Central Florida:
The Pelicans held an undermanned Nets team to fewer than 20 points in three of four quarters Wednesday, a good initial step defensively. They did so without Favors, the backbone of the interior defense, due to rest. Watching from the sideline, the 10-year NBA veteran was complimentary of what New Orleans did at that end of the floor.
“I think the communication was good,” Favors said. “Everyone was communicating loud and clear. I think it was a lot easier without the fans in there. Rotations were on point, guys were talking to each other when (Brooklyn) was getting into the paint, contesting jump shots, getting back in transition. Overall, it was a good defensive game. That’s what won us the game, not the offensive end.” …
JJ Redick on the enthusiasm New Orleans played with Wednesday, its first game in four-plus months: “I thought our energy was great. Defensively, I thought we implemented a lot of the concepts we’ve been talking about while we’ve been down here. Our attention to detail was really good. I was really encouraged by the way we played.”
Denver scouting report/what’s at stake in Orlando
After a Wednesday scrimmage win, the Nuggets’ Michael Malone speculated that his starting lineup vs. Washington may have been the tallest in NBA history. With various guards and wings unavailable, Denver used 7-foot Nikola Jokic at point guard and 7-foot-2 rookie Bol Bol at shooting guard. Regardless of what the Nuggets’ personnel looks like Saturday, they will present a much different challenge and feel for the Pelicans compared to Brooklyn, which has fewer proven contributors. A New Orleans small lineup vs. Denver’s big lineup could be a compelling matchup.
“It’s going to be interesting to see who they start tonight,” Redick said. “I saw their starting lineup the other night. We’re ready for anything. We realize, especially during these scrimmages, there is going to be a lot of weird lineups from a lot of teams.”
Denver (43-22) will enter an Aug. 1 seeding game opener in third place in the West, but is currently only 1.5 games behind the Clippers (44-20) and 1.5 ahead of Utah (41-23). Although homecourt advantage is a non-factor at Disney, the Nuggets will be vying with several other teams (Oklahoma City and Houston are only 2.5 games behind) for the most favorable seed and path of advancement.
