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Pelicans actually let Zion play more than 15 minutes, end up winning

The Grizzlies meanwhile have dropped to 0-3 in the bubble and the West race for the 8-seed is getting very tight.

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans and Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies look on during the game on August 3, 2020 at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.  Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

It took three games but the New Orleans Pelicans finally decided to play Zion Williamson more than 15 minutes. Shocking that it actually resulted in the Pelicans winning their first game inside the NBA bubble, 109-99 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday evening.

Williamson finished with 23 points in 25 minutes, also registering 7 rebounds and 5 assists on his way to 38.25 fantasy points on DraftKings at $7,800 and low ownership. He didn’t quite pop off but it was good enough to make Zion a strong leverage play on the five-game main slate.

As for the Grizzlies, they entered this game with some chalky plays in Ja Morant ($7,300) and Jaren Jackson Jr. ($6,200). Not incredibly chalky but we’ve seen the type of interior defense the Pelicans bring to the table. JJJ managed 22 points but not much else, finishing with 34 DKFP. Morant was cold for almost all game and still had 11 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds for 29.25 DKFP. It still wasn’t anything close to hitting value.

Speaking of value, Grayson Allen got incredibly hot in the first half and dropped 17 points on 5-6 shooting from downtown. He finished with 25.25 DKFP and was the only player with flames next to his name on the DK Live scoreboard.