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Andrew LopezESPN
After watching the New Orleans Pelicans overtake Zion Williamson, dropping his team to 38 points – and 18 free throws – on Saturday night, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle lost track of how to guard him.
“He’s an unusual force and obviously a great player,” Carlisle said after the Mavs visited 112-103. “We will have to find something a little better next time, but he does it for everyone. I had some very good goods guarding it, but it was a beast.
“It presents huge challenges for the defense and for the officers. He’s just creating collisions there. This is a Shaquille O’Neal-type force of nature, with a set of guardian abilities.”
Williamson, with 39 points in his career, lost Friday night at the home of the Denver Nuggets, followed by 38 points at 13-of-20 shooting to go along with six assists and five rebounds. Along the way, the pelicans leaned even closer to Williamson.
He scored or assisted the Pelicans’ 14 points on Saturday, all in the 2:47 final, and helped the Pelicans take a 98-95 lead at that point and put the game aside.
“I want to make the best play that will help us win,” Williamson said. “Sometimes it’s about knowing when to shoot it and when not to shoot it. When to take the step and when not to take the step. I just want to win. It’s as simple as that.”
New Orleans could not leave the game on Friday, eventually falling into the hands of the Nuggets. Williamson said that this competition and the loss that came with it played a “tiny role” in his aggression in Saturday’s fourth quarter, but that it was ultimately a new game.
As Williamson handled the ball more and more, his teammates began to see him becoming someone who could take over the game in the final minutes.
“The ability to get in there and know the angles of the basket and the angles of everything around the rim is really beautiful,” said Pelican striker Brandon Ingram. “Being as efficient as him and going to the rim and sometimes getting a foul and playing through it is nice to see.”
Pelican keeper Nickeil Alexander-Walker said he was not surprised Williamson did the right readings because he saw it happen countless times this season.
“He’s a great player and very altruistic,” said Alexander-Walker. “He made the winning pieces tonight.”
When he was not disappointed, Williamson frequently reached the line. He had season highs with 12 free throws and 18 free throws.
Carlisle said Williamson’s defense had become “a real challenge.”
“You have to have a lot of courage to sit there and be driven like that, because it comes to you fast,” Carlisle said. “It’s coming at you, like, it’s not just an Amtrak. It’s an Acela. It’s the fast one that doesn’t stop. It doesn’t stop in Westport or anywhere. It just goes – uh! – straight to New York City. It’s something else . “
Saturday’s outing was Williamson’s second consecutive game, with at least 35 points, five rebounds and five assists, joining Anthony Davis as the only player in franchise history to make it into the back-in games. -back.
Williamson became the eighth player in the shot clock era (1954-55) to score at least 75 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while throwing over 70% of the field in two games. , according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, it was Williamson’s 11th career game with at least 30 points as he shot 60% or better off the field, breaking a tie with LeBron James for the more of NBA history before a player’s birthday.
Williamson also became O’Neal’s first player in 1995-96 to have four consecutive games with 25 points while shooting 65% or better.
But while all the awards and comparisons are nice, Williamson has made it clear who he wants to be.
“It’s an honor to hear my name in these categories,” Williamson said, “but I’m who I am.”