Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson suffered a tough defeat for just the Knicks – the Pelicans’ third straight overtime. And the players were chewed up by their head coach Stan Van Gany for regulation of the final play on defense.
But Williamson couldn’t help but crack a broad smile that could lighten up Broadway when he was asked what it was like to play his first NBA game at the Garden. Last season, Williamson had knee issues for preseason and regular-season garden matchups.
Williamson suffered the loss with 34 points, slightly better than Julius Randall in the battle for power-forward heavyweight.
“I’m glad you asked,” said Williamson, smiling. “New York is the mecca of basketball. I love playing here. I used to play here in college. [at Duke]. This is his first time playing in the pros. This atmosphere, whether they are cheering for you or provoking you, is amazing. Outside of New Orleans, obviously, this might be my favorite place. I can’t lie to you ”
Williamson is a restricted free agent in 2023. Although only 2,000 fans are allowed into the Garden during the epidemic, Williamson received a mixture of cheers and boo during intro.
His words were back before the 2019 draft, when Williamson came to play Texas Tech at the Garden with Duke, commenting that he would love to see the Knicks win the lottery. The Pelicans, however, and Williamson began their careers in the Big Aegean – a city known for bourbon street and football.
Despite this, the 6-foot-6 power forward is one of the NBA’s faces and took it to the Knicks. His 34 points were a lot more efficient than Randall’s 33, but the win went to the Knicks for the second time in four days.
Dominating the paint and throwing a pair of vicious street-top stings and a driving jam on his own, Williamson shot 13 of 23. Although he did not hit any of his 3-pointers, he made 8 of 11 free throws, had five assists and nine rebounds. One highlight of the game was throwing a half-court street-top pass from a free agent, Lonzo Ball, this summer.
“He’s a tough match,” Randley later said. “We know he’s athletic. He’s tall, nimble on his feet, so he goes for a lot of balls and aggressive rebellion that you don’t think he’ll get. He gets to those balls. He’s a tough cover. And the rim also ends around the well. ”
Randall’s 33 points came on shooting just 12 out of 28 as he missed his first six shots in the first quarter. Randall had 10 assists but four turnovers.
Randall is the first Naik to score more than 30 points in four straight games since Carmelo Anthony in 2014. He was also plus-14 while Williamson was minus-13.
“Playing against great players makes the best of each other,” Williamson said. “But I just care about victory.”
Williamson went a little late in the fourth quarter and was attended by instructors. Williamson said it was “cramp”.
He is now 0–2 against the Knicks.
“New York is a very physical team,” Williamson said.
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