Los Angeles (AFP)

He was eagerly awaited and did not disappoint: for his debut in the NBA on Wednesday, three months after a right knee operation, the phenomenon of New Orleans Zion Williamson marked the spirits with his 22 points in just 18 minutes of Game.

. Zion already on his planet

New Orleans lost at home to San Antonio 121 to 117, but the Pelicans' supporters wore a big smile after the defeat, 28th of the season, of their favorite team.

They witnessed the great NBA debut of the one who is presented as the new LeBron James and who could lead "NOLA" to unsuspected heights.

Williamson, first choice in the 2019 Draft after a single season in the ranks of the prestigious Duke University, had to work his brakes for three months, the time that his meniscus of the right knee, operated on October 21, left him in peace .

The 19-year-old winger waited until the start of the second quarter to score his first basket. He was then irresistible as his line of statistics proves: 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a 100% three-point (4 of 4), unheard of in NBA history for the first game of a "rookie".

Williamson (1.98 m, 129 kg) mostly ignited during the 4th quarter, scoring 17 consecutive points in less than four minutes, before his coach called him back on the bench on the advice of his medical staff.

"He was not happy," smiled Alvin Gentry.

"What we saw on Wednesday evening is just a glimpse of what he can do once he has made his mark," said the NOLA coach.

The interested party still did not digest having followed the end of the match from the bench of the substitutes: "I am 19 years old, I do not think of my longevity, but to gain this match", he assénén.

. Lakers reassure themselves ... a little

Two days after their rout in Boston (139-107), the worst defeat in their history against the Celtics, the Lakers won at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks (100-92).

But they had to wait until the 4th quarter to gain the upper hand against a losing team, the penultimate of the Eastern conference with a starvation record of 12 victories and 33 defeats.

It is not surprisingly the duo Anthony Davis / LeBron James who got the California franchise out of this bad patch, with 28 points for the first, 21 for the second.

"In the first two quarters, we weren't aggressive enough, we didn't put them in trouble, we had to accelerate after the break," said Lakers coach Frank Vogel.

His team is firmly established at the head of the Western conference (35 v-9 d) and his superstar LeBron James will soon write a new page in its history.

With 33,599 points, "King James" is only 44 points from 3rd place in the ranking of the best scorers in history, occupied by Kobe Bryant (33,643 pts), one of the Lakers' legends.

. Houston stops the bleeding

The Rockets have taken off. While remaining on four straight losses, James Harden and his teammates dominated Denver 121-105.

The Nuggets were admittedly deprived of five players, including their leader Jamal Murray, but Harden wants to see in this victory "a key moment that must give us confidence".

"The Beard" contributed to this huge success with 27 points while Russell Westbrook added 28 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists and four interceptions.

"No one likes to lose, so it feels good to win, but I really believe we have better days ahead," said Westbrook.

The Rockets are 6th in the West (27 v-16 d).

. The Frenchies

Rudy Gobert made the young Warriors dizzy. The French pivot knocked out Golden State (129-96) in his room with 22 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.

Utah, which has won 13 of its last 14 games, is now 2nd in the Western Conference (31 v-13 d).

Evan Fournier scored 12 points and was ruled out for accumulating personal fouls in Orlando's home loss to Oklahoma City (120-114).

Sekou Doumbouya scored just four points in Detroit's victory over Sacramento (126-107).

Despite Ian Mahinmi's "double double" (two categories of statistics with ten or more units, 10 pts, 10 rebounds), Washington lost to Miami after extra time (134-129).

The results of the North American Basketball Championship (NBA) after the matches played on Wednesday:

New Orleans - San Antonio 117 - 121

Atlanta - LA Clippers 102 - 95

Boston - Memphis 119 - 95

Miami - Washington 134 - 129

New York - LA Lakers 92 - 100

Golden State - Utah 96 - 129

Phoenix - Indiana 87 - 112

Chicago - Minnesota 117 - 110

Houston - Denver 121 - 105

Detroit - Sacramento 127 - 106

Orlando - Oklahoma City 114 - 120

Toronto - Philadelphia 107 - 95

© 2020 AFP