“RJ Barrett exploded for a 35-point night, while Zion Williamson added 35 pounds and rode the bench!”: NBA Twitter reacts as the Knicks guard had a career night against the Pels

RJ Barrett had a career night as he dropped 35 points along with 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a huge 123-117 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

On Saturday night, the New Orleans Pelicans, playing without the likes of their stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram hosted RJ Barrett and the New York Knicks. Entering the contest, the Knicks were coming off a 2-game winning streak, whereas the Pels had lost 5 of their first 6 games of this season.

In a game that saw no lead changes nor ties, New York managed to grab a comfortable 123-117 win. It was an incredible performance by NOLA big man Jonas Valanciunas who put up a 27-point and 14-rebounds double-double but was overshadowed by RJ’s career-best outing. Shooting on an efficient 66.7/75/83.3 split, Barrett had a career-high 35-point night, and also recorded 8 rebounds and 6 assists with a game-high +/- of +8.

RJ Barrett CAREER night 👑:

35 PTS – 8 REB – 6 AST – 6/8 3PT – 12/18 FG pic.twitter.com/UPSlbXRA8z

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) October 31, 2021

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NBA Twitter reacts to RJ Barrett dropping a career-high 35 points against the New Orleans Pelicans

NBA Twitter went crazy with their reactions as soon as Barrett put up an outstanding performance at the Smoothie King Center.

People often forget that David Griffin passed on RJ Barrett

— Jeremy Cohen (@TheCohencidence) October 31, 2021

RJ drops 35 points, meanwhile Zion adds 35 pounds and rides the bench 😤

— Advait Jajodia (@AdvaitJajodia) October 31, 2021

Zion Williamson after watching RJ Barrett drop 35 on the Pelicans pic.twitter.com/igIYXZMwxg

— Rich (@UptownDC_Rich) October 31, 2021

TO EVERYONE STILL SLEEPING ON RJ BARRETT pic.twitter.com/r9uMpLunBZ

— Showtime Knicks (@ShowtimeKnicks) October 31, 2021

Despite having a career night, the Canadian youngster found a few aspects where he could improve on his game. During the post-game interview, the 6-foot-6 guard criticised his defense:

“It was definitely a good game overall offensively. I was terrible on defense today. Not good.”

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New York now has improved their record to 5-1, their best start through the first 6 games since the 2012-2013 season. And RJ averaging 17.2 points and 5.7 rebounds on a career-high 48% shooting is a huge reason for their solid start.

While NYK sits on top of the Eastern Conference standings, the Pels, with their abysmal 1-6 start, is placed at the bottom-most position in the West. And until Zion Williamson takes back on the court returning from his foot injury, the Pelicans will have to find their winning ways before matters become worse for them.