Is Zion Williamson playing tonight? NBA star on restricted minutes ahead of Clippers clash

New Orleans Pelicans will face Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday evening at HP Field House for their next regular-season clash. The Clippers vs Pelicans game is scheduled to begin on Saturday, August 1, 6 pm ET (Sunday, August 2, 3:30 AM IST). The main question around the encounter is surrounding Pelicans rookie star Zion Williamson and his limited playing time. Williamson played just 15 minutes in his team's loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday. 

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Is Zion Williamson playing tonight? Zion Williamson minutes restriction

On Friday, Pelicans vice president David Griffin spoke to the media about Zion Williamson's minutes restriction and their plans for the rookie star. Griffin claimed that it's going to take a few games before Williamson will be playing normal minutes. Griffin then confirmed that Williamson will play against the Clippers but on limited game time. The Pelicans VP did not reveal the exact duration of the minutes restriction but added, "Although everyone wants Zion to play 40 minutes, I can assure you that he won't." 

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The 47-year-old went on to claim that Zion Williamson will not play significant minutes in the next game, and may have restricted minutes in the following game as well. Williamson's minutes restriction comes after the 20-year-old left the NBA bubble to attend to a family matter. Griffin acknowledged the Zion Williamson minutes restriction isn't complicated, claiming that no mistakes were made with the handling of Zion Williamson's minutes on Thursday. 

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Zion Williamson minutes restriction: Zion Williamson return

Zion Williamson played only 15 minutes in the defeat against Utah Jazz but still managed to score 13 points. Following his cameo, Williamson stated he needs some time to get back into the flow of the game. Zion Williamson's return to the NBA bubble was just a few days prior to the Utah Jazz game. Williamson also had to undergo a four-day quarantine and had only two days to prepare for his limited minutes on Thursday. 

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Zion Williamson injury fear for Pelicans

Williamson missed the first half of the season after undergoing knee surgery and the Pelicans were extremely cautious with his return from rehab. The Pelicans are seemingly unwilling to take any more risks with Williamson, who appears to be a long-term project with the Western Conference side. The Pelicans are currently in 11th place in the Western Conference. 

Image Credits - New Orleans Pelicans Instagram