Williamson leads New Orleans against Philadelphia after 43-point showing

Philadelphia 76ers (20-13, fifth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (22-12, first in the Western Conference)

New Orleans; Friday, 8:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans takes on the Philadelphia 76ers after Zion Williamson scored 43 points in the New Orleans Pelicans' 119-118 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Pelicans are 15-4 on their home court. New Orleans ranks fifth in the Western Conference with 26.9 assists per game led by CJ McCollum averaging 6.1.

The 76ers are 6-8 on the road. Philadelphia ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference with 13.6 fast break points per game led by Tyrese Maxey averaging 4.7.

TOP PERFORMERS: McCollum is averaging 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists for the Pelicans. Williamson is averaging 20.7 points over the last 10 games for New Orleans.

Joel Embiid is averaging 33.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 blocks for the 76ers. Tobias Harris is averaging 15.1 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 50.8% over the last 10 games for Philadelphia.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pelicans: 6-4, averaging 120.5 points, 45.7 rebounds, 27.1 assists, 8.7 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.3 points per game.

76ers: 8-2, averaging 119.4 points, 41.3 rebounds, 26.4 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points.

INJURIES: Pelicans: E.J. Liddell: out (right knee), Herbert Jones: day to day (health and safety protocols), Brandon Ingram: out (toe).

76ers: Tyrese Maxey: out (foot).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.