Zion Williamson scores 22 in his return to the Pelicans' lineup after missing 27 games

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson symbolically announced his return from a 27-game injury absence with a breakaway dunk in which he rotated 360 degrees in the air while throwing down a crowd-pleasing, double-clutch, roundhouse jam.

“The dunk was crazy just knowing how long he’s been out and to see that he could still do that,” Pelicans point guard Dejounte Murray said after the Pelicans' 104-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. “I’m glad he played with the confidence and the joy."

To Williamson, attempting that dunk in his first game back from a left hamstring strain wasn't so much a bold play as “another day at the office.”

“I definitely feel like my legs are already under me," said Williamson, who scored 22 points in just under 28 minutes.

“The focus I had during this rehab was a bit more extreme,” Williamson added. “I feel like I didn’t even miss a beat, but gained a beat.”

Williamson also had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block on Wolves center Rudy Gobert. After a few minutes on the court, he revved up the crowd with a soaring two-handed dunk of CJ McCollum's long alley-oop lob.

“It’s incredible, his ability to impact the basketball game when he’s on the floor," Pelicans coach Willie Green said. "He had a little bit of rust, but that’s as good as I’ve seen him after being out for as long as he’s been.

"It’s a credit to Zion, the work that he’s been putting in.”

Green said Williamson was on minutes restriction that was “roughly” about the time he was in the game. But Green inserted Williamson in a starting lineup that also included Murray, marking the first time the two have played together.

Williamson's two breakaway dunks in the third quarter resulted from aggressive defensive by both of them near mid-court, swarming Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, and later Julius Randle, and poking the ball away.

“Our chemistry is there,” Williamson said.

Added Green: “That was a fun segment. That’s a small sample size of what this team is capable of."

The crowd cheered when Williamson emerged from the tunnel for warm-ups before tip-off and again when he was announced as a starter.

Williamson, the first overall pick out of Duke in the 2019 NBA Draft, had played in just six of New Orleans' previous 36 games this season, averaging 22.7 points, eight rebounds and 5.3 assists.

The Pelicans (7-30) fell to 2-5 when Williamson plays this season, but went 5-25 without him, including 4-23 during the past 27 games.

The Pelicans also have a game on Wednesday night against Portland, but Green declined to forecast whether Williamson would be cleared to play games on consecutive nights at this point in his recovery.

Williamson said he, too, would have to consult with the team about that on Wednesday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is fouled by Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels as he drives to the basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. The Timberwolves won 104-97. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is fouled by Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels as he drives to the basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. The Timberwolves won 104-97. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) moves the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. The Timberwolves won 104-97. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) drives to the basket ahead of Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) and forward Julius Randle (30) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. The Timberwolves won 104-97 (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) slam dunks ahead of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts after his slam dunk in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, arm raised, high fives his teammates during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards in New Orleans, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, third from left, celebrates during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards in New Orleans, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) battles for the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson moves the ball around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson reacts to an official's call in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Sixteen-year-old Arthur Brodard went to the Le Constellation bar with friends to celebrate the New Year. Nearly 48 hours after a devastating fire, his mother still held out hope he might be one of the six injured people who remained unidentified after one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies.

Those half-dozen people gave a glimmer of hope for families whose loved ones were missing in the aftermath of the fire at the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana that killed 40 people and injured 119 others, 113 of whom have been formally identified.

“I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard, from Lausanne, Switzerland, told reporters. “I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

The severity of the burns has made it difficult to identify both the injured and deceased, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples. In some cases, wallets and any identification documents inside turned to ash in the flames. An Instagram account has filled up with photos of people who were unaccounted for, and friends and relatives begged for tips about their whereabouts.

Officials in the Valais regional government acknowledged the prolonged heartache.

“You will understand that the priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference.

Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government, added: “We are aware of the particularly difficult hours, of the unbearable side of every minute that passes without answers."

Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the bar crowded with New Year's Eve revelers, two hours after midnight Thursday.

“We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could, we saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”

Many of the injured were in their teens to mid-20s, police said. Authorities planned to look into whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar.

Officials said they would also look at other safety measures on the premises, including fire extinguishers and escape routes. The region's top prosecutor warned of possible prosecutions if any criminal liability is found.

The injured included 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French and 11 Italians, along with citizens of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal and Poland, according to Frédéric Gisler, police commander of the Valais region. The nationalities of 14 people were still unclear.

Emanuele Galeppini, a promising teenage Italian golfer who competed internationally, was officially listed as one of Italy’s missing nationals. His uncle, Sebastiano Galeppini, told Italian news agency ANSA that their family is awaiting the DNA checks, though the Italian Golf Federation on its website announced that he had died.

Dazio reported from Berlin. Associated Press journalists Geir Moulson in Berlin, Graham Dunbar in Geneva, and Nicole Winfield and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.

People bring flowers and letters, reading "Rest in Peace", near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

People mourn behind flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

The sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations is seen in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday morning, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

People bring flowers and candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

People mourn behind flowers and letters near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)