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Andrew LopezESPN
After watching New Orleans Pelicans striker Zion Williamson go over his team on his way to 38 points – and 18 free throws – on Saturday night, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle did not know how to protect him.
“He is an unusual force and obviously a great player,” said Carlisle after visitor Mavs dropped 112-103. “We will have to think of something a little better next time, but he is doing it with everyone. We had some very good assets to protect him, but he was a beast.
“It presents enormous challenges for the defense and for the officers. He’s just creating collisions. This is a Shaquille O’Neal force of nature with a skill set as a guard.”
Williamson, fresh from his 39-point career record in his Friday night home loss to the Denver Nuggets, followed up with 38 points from 13 of 20 shots, six assists and five rebounds. In the final stretch, the Pelicans leaned further towards Williamson.
He scored or helped in the Pelicans’ last 14 points, all in the final 2:47, and helped the Pelicans gain a 98-95 lead on that point and put the game aside.
“I want to make the best move that will help us win,” said Williamson. “Sometimes, that is knowing when to shoot and when not to shoot. When to pass and when not to pass. I just want to win. It’s as simple as that.”
New Orleans failed to end the game on Friday, falling to the Nuggets. Williamson said that game and the accompanying defeat had a “small part” in his aggression in the fourth quarter, but that, in the end, it was a new game.
As Williamson handles the ball more and more, his teammates are beginning to see him transform into someone who can take control of the games in the final minutes.
“The ability to go in there and know the basket angles and the angles of everything around the rim is really beautiful,” said Pelican striker Brandon Ingram. “To be as efficient as he is and go to the edge and sometimes get soiled and play through him, it’s beautiful to see.”
Pelican guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker said he is not surprised that Williamson is doing the right readings, because he has seen this happen several times this season.
“He is a great player and very selfless,” said Alexander-Walker. “He made the winning moves tonight.”
When he wasn’t doing that, Williamson was coming on the line often. He had his records for the season with 12 free throws made and 18 free-throw attempts.
Carlisle said that defending Williamson has become “a real challenge”.
“You have to have a lot of courage to stay there and get hit by that guy, because he’s coming for you fast,” Carlisle said. “He’s coming your way, like, it’s not just an Amtrak. It’s an Acela. It’s the fastest that doesn’t stop. It doesn’t stop in Westport or anywhere else. It just goes – whew! – straight to New York City. . It’s something else. “
Saturday’s match was Williamson’s second consecutive game with at least 35 points, five rebounds and five assists, joining Anthony Davis as the only player in the franchise’s history to achieve this in consecutive games.
Williamson became the eighth player in the kick-off era (since 1954-55) to have at least 75 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while kicking over 70% of the field in two games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau .
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, it was the 11th game of Williamson’s career with at least 30 points when shooting 60% or more on the field, breaking the tie with LeBron James for most of NBA history before his 21st birthday. of the player.
Williamson also became the first player since O’Neal in 1995-96 to have four games in a row with 25 points and pitches of 65% or more.
But while all the praise and comparisons are good, Williamson has made it clear who he wants to be with.
“It is an honor to hear my name in these categories,” said Williamson, “but I am who I am.”