Zion Williamson Explodes in the Last Period, But San Antonio Spurs Beat Pelicans, 121-117

Zion Williamson made his NBA debut tonight, in New Orleans Pelicans’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs, 121-117. The No.1 pick from this year’s draft posted excellent figures, showing that his knee healed completely, but unfortunately, the team from the Big Easy couldn’t beat Gregg Popovich’s side.

“It was going to be a learning experience for him either way, if he did play well, or didn’t play well,” said Alving Gentry about his superstar. “But I really think that there is a high ceiling he can reach.”

Zion (22 PTS & 4 3PM) dropped 17 straight PTS in the 4th QTR during his NBA debut! ⚡️#WontBowDown pic.twitter.com/p7I9llXfY3

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 23, 2020

In just 18 minutes on the court of the Smoothie King Center, Zion scored 22 points, was 8-for-11 from the field, hitting all four threes, adding 7 boards and delivering 17 buckets in the final 12 minutes.

“It feels good to get back out there, I didn’t get the outcome I wanted, but well get better and move on to the next,” he said.

He was leading the Pelicans’ push in the final moments and his three with 6:18 to go even made it possible for the hosts to grab a lead at 107-106. However, there was no power to close the job, as the Spurs responded with an 11-2 rush, which eventually decided this contest.

Regarding Williamson’s performance, we can say that after a slow start he caught the rhythm, showing fantastic ability to score and to break through opponents’ defenses without any problems and troubles.

After the first period, the former Duke Blue Devil didn’t have a single point, but as time went by he began to feel more comfortable on the floor, before eventually exploding in the final sequence.

“We talked at the halftime.. I wanted him to be aggressive, I knew that he would make some mistakes.”

As for the game itself, the Spurs had the lead during the majority of the time. Midway through the second quarter, it stood at 43-28, and it was mostly 10 or more points, At the start of the final 12 minutes it was 94-82, but Zion’s burst erased that gap.

“Were you in the zone?” one of the reporters asked Zion.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he replied smiling.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 32 points and added 14 boards for the guests, shooting 12-for-20 from the field. DeMarcus DeRozan added 20 with 5 boards, while Dejuonte Murray had 12 with 5 boards also. Derrick White contributed with 12 off the bench.

There wasn’t anything special in the Spurs’ game, which could be told that it was the reason for their win. They simply controlled the match very well and had more gas in the tank in the closing moments.

Brandon Ingram had the same number of points as Zion, 22; only his shooting percentage was far worse, 6-for-22. Lonzo Ball posted a double-double, 14 buckets, and 12 assists, and was just two boards short of a triple-double.

Jrue Holiday had 12 points, and Derrick Favors also added double figures in points and boards, 11 and 10.

After a series of good results, the Pelicans began playing in hot and cold rhythm, decreasing their chances of potentially reaching out for a playoff push.

New Orleans (17-28) is hosting the Denver Nuggets on Friday, and after that, have a massive clash with the Boston Celtics on Sunday, followed by a trip to Cleveland.

Meanwhile, the Spurs (20-23) posted their second win in a row, after beating the Heat at home on Saturday. They now have two straight games at home, against the Suns, the Raptors, before going to Chicago and coming back to Texas to face the Jazz and the Hornets in front of their own crowd.