Pelican superstar Sion Williamson had just suffered a heavy loss during overtime to the Knicks – the third consecutive pelican. And the players were simply chewed by their head coach, Stan Van Gundy, because he beat the final game of regulation while he was on defense.
But Williamson couldn’t help but break a wide smile that could enlighten him on Broadway when asked how he would play his first NBA game in the Garden. Last season, Williamson had knee problems for pre-season and regular season games Garden.
Williamson finished with 34 points in the loss, getting Julius Randle slightly better in the heavyweight battle.
“I’m glad you asked that,” Williamson said with a grin. “New York is a basketball game. I like to play here. I played here in college [at Duke]. This is the first time I play in the pros. This atmosphere, whether it cheers you up or boils you down, is amazing. Outside of New Orleans, obviously, this could be my favorite place to play. I can’t lie to you. ”
Williamson is a restricted free agent in 2023. Although only 2,000 fans are allowed in the garden during the pandemic, Williamson received a mixture of cheers and boos during the entrance.
His words came back before the 2019 draft when Williamson came with Duke to play Texas Tech in the garden and remarked that he would love to see the Knicks win the lottery. However, the pelicans did, and Williamson began his career in Big Easy – a city known for Bourbon Street and football.
Regardless, the 6-foot-6 power forward is one of the faces of the NBA and took him to the Knicks. His 34 points were much more effective than Randle’s 33, but the victory went to the Knicks for the second time in four days.
Dominating the paint and throwing down a few vicious pairs on the alley and a single block, Williamson shot 13 of 23 on the field. Although he did not hit any of the three points, he made 8 of 11 free throws, had five assists and nine rebounds. One of the most important moments of the game was throwing down an alley-oop midfield pass from Lonzo Ball, a free agent this summer.
“It’s a tough match,” Randle said afterward. “We know he is athletic. He’s long, agile on his feet, fast, so he gets a lot of balls and offensive rebounds that you wouldn’t think he’d get. He gets to those balls. It is a hard coating and finishes well around the rim. ”
Randle’s 33 points came in just 12 of 28 shots, while he went unscored in the first quarter, missing the first six shots. Randle had 10 assists, but four turnovers.
Randle is the first Knick to score 30 plus points in four consecutive games from Carmelo Anthony in 2014. He was also a plus-14, while Williamson was a minus-13.
“Playing against big players brings out the best in each other,” Williamson said. “But I only care about winning.”
Williamson left shortly after in the fourth quarter and was assisted by coaches. Williamson said they were “cramps.”
Now it’s 0-2 against Knicks.
“New York is a very physical team,” Williamson said.