The Pelicans are confident that Zion Williamson can rejoin the team for the upcoming 4-game trip to the West Coast.

• Get NBA League Pass TODAY >

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson was left out of the lineup for Wednesday night’s regular-season opener against the Chicago Bulls.

Pelicans coach Willie Green said Williamson was ill and not present.

“He’s not feeling well,” Green said before the game. “He’s been sick for the last few days…It’s just some kind of virus.”

Without Williamson, Brandon Ingram improved with 33 points and led New Orleans to a 123-111 win over Chicago. CJ McCollum added 23 for the Pelicans and freshman guard Dejounte Murray had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Green said the club is confident Williamson, who averaged 22.9 points per game last season, can return to the team when the Pelicans begin a four-game West Coast trip Friday in Portland.

The 6-foot-2 Williamson, Duke’s first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, played in a career-high 70 games last season. But his absence Wednesday night marked the 207th regular-season game missed in his injury-plagued professional career.

In the 184 NBA games he played, Williamson averaged 24.7 points per game.