It was the expected “match-up” in the night’s meeting between the Pelicans and the Bucks and it kept all its promises, between a Zion Williamson who hammered the opposing defense every time he had the chance, and a Giannis Antetokounmpo (35 points, 14 rebounds) who threw all his strength into the battle to try to revive Milwaukee, in vain.
Until the end, even when the “Greek Freak” compiled 20 points in a row to bring his team back in the third quarter, the former Duke resident held on, offering himself a 2+1 in front of the superstar of the Bucks at the start of the “money-time” then adding a new basket before ending the game at 5/6 on free throws to ensure a precious success for the Pelicans (107-100).
After the match, tributes multiplied from both sides to salute the performance of Zion Williamson, author of 28 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists and valuable in his overall performance.
“He’s exceptional, he’s incredible… He plays to his strengths every time. He plays to win, he defends, he understands the game better. It's always good to see guys who are really strong being healthy, on the field, helping their team win.”, notably highlighted Giannis Antetokounmpowhich measures the progress of his evening opponent in each confrontation.
The Pelicans cheat code
For his coach, Willie Green, it was also an opportunity to salute the good performance of one of his major players against a “model” player for him, and more generally his performance since the start of the season. As a reminder, this is the first time in his career that Zion Williamson has reached 62 games in a regular season.
“Zion was incredible”, he said. “Game after game, he places the team on his shoulders and he carries us. He defends, he takes rebounds, he facilitates the play of his teammates. The guys rally around him. Collectively, it was a great effort from all our guys who took the field. The discipline in respecting the game plan was of a high level.”
Trey Murphy for his part highlighted the complete aspect of his teammate, with impact on both sides of the field, which complicates the task of the opposing team, and facilitates that of New Orleans.
“Just get the ball to Zion, that’s really it. It's a nightmare for the opponent, because depending on the decisions he makes, he will end up on the line or come out for the shooters. It’s just difficult for the opposing defense to manage.”, he confidedbefore noting his defense by a “A+” for his ability to defend on all profiles. “I’ve seen some really great effort from him on defense recently.”
The smell of the playoffs to keep him under pressure
The Pelicans knew they had to respond in the physical fight and they had the weapons to do it, with Larry Nance Jr, Jonas Valanciunas and of course Zion Williamson, even if it is never easy to contain a size with the strength and mobility of a Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“I thought I knew how to attack the rim… He attacks it with power, and goes to the free throw line. I think he missed a few of his first throws, but then he started hitting them. He's a big guy… He's always in “attack” mode, and like I said, I love competing against him. He's a competitor.” said Zion Williamson in particular.
While nothing is yet decided in the race for the playoffs, the Pelicans will be able to continue their rise in power since after this high-intensity duel, it is Boston which will present itself in Louisiana tomorrow evening. Enough to increase Zion Williamson's motivation tenfold as the long-awaited final stages approach…
“These matches are clearly matches played in a playoff atmosphere”he added. “Every match counts, especially with the situation in the standings. The intensity is clearly increasing in view of the playoffs. I think that’s why I enjoy playing these matches so much.”
| Zion Williamson | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2019-20 | NOP | 24 | 28 | 58.3 | 42.9 | 64.0 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 22.5 |
| 2020-21 | NOP | 61 | 33 | 61.1 | 29.4 | 69.8 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 27.0 |
| 2022-23 | NOP | 29 | 33 | 60.8 | 36.8 | 71.4 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 4.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 26.0 |
| 2023-24 | NOP | 61 | 31 | 58.6 | 35.7 | 70.5 | 1.8 | 4.1 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 22.7 |
| Total | 175 | 32 | 59.9 | 34.6 | 69.5 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 6.6 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 24.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
