There’s no denying Zion Williamson has been the catalyst for the New Orleans Pelicans’ surge late this season. The thing is, the All-Star forward could have done more as his team fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In that contest, OKC got the 119-112 win over New Orleans in their own home court at the Smoothie King Center. Second-year star Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 26 points, two rebounds, and five assists, while shooting 50 percent from deep. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made 24 points and Josh Giddey shot 71 percent from the field to contribute 25 points.
Over on the other side of the fence, Williamson led all New Orleans players by posting 29 points and 10 rebounds. CJ McCollum ran the point for 41 minutes and ended up with 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones each had 16 points to shoulder the absence of Brandon Ingram from the lineup.
While NOLA’s starters performed well on paper with the stats mentioned above, the same can’t be said during the final stretch of the game. Even will all of the offensive talent on their side, the Pelicans were unable to stave off OKC’s aggression, leading to a loss on their end.
New Orleans Pelicans Star Zion Williamson Explains Big Lapse in Loss to Oklahoma City Thunder
After the game, Williamson spoke to the media and explained what happened. In a post shared by Christian Clark on X:
“Zion on the Pelicans going scoreless in the final 3:10: “We definitely could have managed the clock better. Had some more movement. We were kind of stagnant. I definitely have to demand the ball more in those situations,” Clark tweeted.
The Pelicans’ All-Star forward further expounded on what it felt like to play that kind of game and the stakes that are involved. In another tweet posted by Pelicans Film Room on X:
“This is what being competitive is all about… These games are fun to play in… When I watch playoff basketball, this is what games look like… whoever stays the most disciplined gets the win” — Zion Williamson on playing games with this level of intensity,” Pelicans Film Room tweeted.
The regular season is scheduled to end on April 14, which gives the Pelicans plenty of time to secure a playoff spot. Of course, NOLA must not let their mistake against the Thunder happen again if they way to make it to the postseason soon.
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