Zion Williamson takes the blame for Pelicans’ blowout loss to the Lakers
The New Orleans Pelicans saw their bid for the inaugural In-Season tournament championship crumble after a 44-point blowout loss against the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals.
The Lakers took full command of the game in the second half behind LeBron James’ historic performance. James put up 30 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in only 23 minutes played.
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After the game, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who had 13 points and two rebounds in 26 minutes played, took the blame for his lackluster performance.
“I got to be better,” Williamson said via ESPN. “I got to be more aggressive, finding my shot, I got to do more things to get my team going, I think I was too laid-back tonight, and I just can’t do that. And defensively I got to be better.”
Williamson struggled to assert his presence offensively. As a result his quiet night contributed to the Pelicans’ third-worst lopsided regular-season loss in franchise history.
The All-Star big man had struggled in tournament play in the last two games. He previously scored 10 points in the quarterfinal win over the Sacramento Kings.
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Williamson stated that he needs to increase his aggression offensively.
“I have a problem where I literally just try to hunt the best shot possible every time, but my teammates, they expect more from me,” Williamson said. “I expect more from myself, I got to just trust my game, I just got to be more aggressive. If I’m more aggressive that energy will definitely carry over.”
Williamson is averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on 57.4 percent shooting from the floor.
