The New Orleans Pelicans suffered a tough loss against the Boston Celtics. Despite playing without Brandon Ingram and Jose Alvarado, Willie Green’s boys gave the Cs a run for their money. Following the contest, Zion Williamson spoke about the learnings that he took away after facing the best team in the league.
Advertisement
When asked to talk about his opponents, Zion Williamson couldn’t help but praise the Boston side. While talking to the reporters during the postgame conference, the 6ft 6” forward shed light on Joe Mazzulla’s boys’ consistency. Further, the former Duke Blue Devil was also impressed by the fact that the Celtics would learn from their mistakes and not make the same errors twice, as seen in TJ Sports USA’s YouTube video.
“They’re consistent, their consistency on a nightly basis. The things that they mess up with, they don’t mess up twice and you can see it in their record. They know when to pick up their intensity, they know when they’re playing sloppy and they make adjustments quick and that’s what makes them great,” Zion praised the Boston Celtics.
Despite the Pels’ loss, Williamson had quite an impressive performance. Suiting up for a game-high of 40:21 minutes, Zanos recorded 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists on an efficient 52.9% shooting from the field, per NBA.com.
Even though the Louisiana side sustained a loss, the matchup against the Celtics will help improve the team’s morale and confidence for when they have a completely healthy roster battling in the postseason. And of course, fans will be very encouraged with what they have seen from their team as well.
Willie Green isn’t too worried about the loss that Zion Williamson and Co. suffered
With their latest loss, the New Orleans Pelicans now hold a 45-29 record, placing them 5th in the Western Conference. Additionally, the Dallas Mavericks’ recent win against the Sacramento Kings results in the Pels being merely 0.5 games ahead of the #6 spot in the standings.
While this may have fans of the Pelicans worried, head coach Willie Green isn’t too concerned with the loss considering that several big names are not in the lineup.
During the postgame conference, Green seemed to be comfortable knowing the fact that Brandon Ingram and Jose Alvarado, who combined for 27.8 points, 2 steals, and almost 7.9 assists per game [according to ESPN], would make their comeback to the lineup soon.
“We are right there. We all have to remember that we’re missing 20+ points and our leader plus Jose. You add those guys in, that helps us out for sure,” Willie Green said.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a fairly difficult schedule remaining, playing six out of eight games against teams with a better record than .500. Hopefully, the team is able to stand their ground with Ingram sidelined, and advance to the postseason without having to participate in the play-in tournament.
There is no doubt that the Pelicans can cause trouble for some of the biggest powerhouses once they are a healthy unit.
