The New Orleans Pelicans just pulled off one of the highlights of their season. Coming into this season, the Sacramento Kings were being touted as the new up-and-coming team to beat in the West. The Pelicans, on the other hand, had been mostly written off, as their star Zion Williamson found himself bombarded with baby mama drama and a checkered history with injuries.
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But after yesterday’s 36-point blowout victory against the Kings, anything is possible for the 23-year-old power forward and his resurgent team. With the win, the Pelicans move to the ninth spot in the West, improving their record to 7-7. They sure did show out during their game at the Smoothie King Center, as the home court proved to be favorable for them. Stars Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson had a great night, as they combined for 57 points in the game. Ingram led all scorers with a season-high 31 points.
After the game, Zion was asked about the team’s game plan during the matchup. Giving props to his teammate’s dominance during the game, Zion said, “I was looking for a man with 1, 4 on his jersey [Ingram’s number]. Give him the ball and get the hell out of the way.”
The modest take from Zion, sure takes us back to his college days. Though Ingram did have a dominant game, it was Zion who led the charge during the first three quarters. Once the Pelicans had a decent lead, Ingram decided to make the result downright disrespectful, beating the Kings by 36 points at the end of regulation.
Zion Williamson talks about Team Meetings and determination
The recent wins for the Pelicans have been much-needed. They started the season relatively slow, as the team learned how to play together with a returning Zion Williamson. But once things started to click, New Orleans looked like a whole new team. The pick-and-roll action with Zion cutting to the paint has been nearly unstoppable, as we saw during the game. Not only that, the Pelicans completely outrebounded the athletic Kings, 55 to 36.
After the game Zion was asked about what changes the team had made to find its recent success. Attributing most of it to teamwork, Zion said, “We weren’t on the same page before… We had a team meeting, we talked about what we wanted to do as a unit. That’s what we’re gonna live and die with.”
This statement from Zion just goes to show how important communication is as a team. The Pelicans have the talent to compete, especially around their core of Zion, Ingram and Valanciunas. Dyson Daniels, who had an off night last game is also another player on the Pelicans that can make a huge difference. With the Pelicans now playing a faster brand of basketball, it would be interesting to see how far they make in the playoffs.
