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Andrew LopezESPN
After watching New Orleans Pelicans throw forward Zion Williamson over his team and run through his team on their way to 38 points – and 18 free throws – Saturday night, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle didn’t know how to guard him.
“He’s an unusual force and clearly a great player,” said Carlisle after the visiting Mavs fell 112-103. “We’ll have to come up with something better next time, but he’s doing this to everyone. We had some very good assets to guard him, but he was an animal.
“It presents enormous challenges for the defense and for the officials. He’s just creating collisions there. This is a Shaquille O’Neal-type force of nature with a point guard ability.”
Williamson, fresh off a career-high 39 points in Friday night’s home loss against the Denver Nuggets, followed with 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting to go along with six assists and five rebounds. Along the stretch, the Pelicans leaned even more against Williamson.
He scored or assisted the Pelicans’ last 14 points on Saturday, all in the final 2:47, and helped the Pelicans take a 98-95 lead at the time and put the game down.
“I want to make the best game that will help us win,” said Williamson. “Sometimes that is knowing when to shoot and when not to shoot. When to fold and when not. I just want to win. It’s that simple.”
New Orleans could not put the game down on Friday and eventually fell into the Nuggets. Williamson said that that game, and the loss that accompanied it, played a “small part” in his aggressiveness in Saturday’s fourth quarter, but that it was ultimately a new game.
As Williamson handles the ball more and more, his teammates are starting to see him develop into someone who can take over games in the last minutes.
“The ability to go in there and know the corners of the basket and the angles of everything around the rim, it’s really beautiful,” said Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram. “To be as efficient as him and to get to the edge and get dirty at times and play through it, it’s a beautiful thing to see.”
Pelican Guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker said he is not surprised Williamson is making the right reads, as he has seen it happen over and over again this season.
“He’s a great player and very selfless,” said Alexander-Walker. “He made the winning pieces tonight.”
When he didn’t hand it out, Williamson was on the phone regularly. He had season heights with 12 free throws made and 18 free throw attempts.
Carlisle said defending Williamson has become “a real challenge.”
“You’ve got to have a lot of courage to stand up there and get run over by that guy because he’s coming up to you quickly,” Carlisle said. It’s coming up to you, it’s not just any Amtrak. It’s an Acela. It’s the fast one that won’t stop. It won’t stop in Westport or anywhere. It just goes – phew! – straight to New York City. It’s something else. “
Saturday’s performance 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 do so in back-to-back games.
Williamson became the eighth player in the shot clock era (since 1954-55) with at least 75 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting more than 70% of the field in a two-game period, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, it was Williamson’s 11th career game with at least 30 points while shooting 60% or better, breaking a draw with LeBron James the most in NBA history ahead of the 21st anniversary of a player.
Williamson also became the first player since O’Neal in 1995-96 to have four consecutive games with 25 points while shooting 65% or better.
But while all the accolades and comparisons are nice, Williamson made it clear who he wants to be on.
“It’s an honor to hear my name in those categories,” said Williamson, “but I am who I am.”