The Pelicans had lost 4-of-5 heading into the contest against the Sixers but they were able to get the 101-94 win at home. Let’s take a look at four things from the game on Friday night.
Zion Williamson nearly gets his first triple-double. The 20-year-old finished with 37 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists, falling short of the accomplishment.
I was looking up where his first triple-double would rank among current Pelicans and I found a surprise on the list.
Most triple-doubles among players on the Pelicans’ roster:
1. Lonzo Ball (6)
2. Eric Bledsoe (5)
3. Steven Adams (1)
4. Isaiah Thomas (1)
Do I slightly remember Adams getting a triple-double? Yes. Would I have been able to name him if I was asked in trivia? Admittedly no. I imagine other NBA followers would have missed Isaiah Thomas, being that he just inked a 10-day deal with New Orleans last week and didn’t play in two of the four games with the club, including Friday night’s matchup.
[As an aside from the aside, if you look down the list of players who have just one career triple-double, there will be some double-takes, including seeing Dwight Howard on there]
But back to Zion. The 2019 No. 1 overall pick has played in 71 career games and the home game against the Sixers was no doubt among his best.
“That a tough dude to stop,” Tobias Harris told FortyEightMinutes and other media members after the contest while adding that Williamson’s physicality is on a whole other level.
Yet, it wasn’t just Zion bullying the Sixers. He showed patience as a ball-handler and facilitator (his eight assists match a career-high) and Philly just had no answer, especially given all the funky looks.
New Orleans had him play the three for a large chunk of the contest, getting in stretches with two centers on the floor and other looks with Steven Adams and James Johnson occupying the frontcourt. Zion slotted down to what appeared to be the four during chunks of Brandon Ingram‘s minutes.
Is Brandon Ingram the right fit next to Williamson? From the few times I’ve seen both players on the floor together, I would lean no. Ingram didn’t shoot the ball well on Friday night (5-for-21) and while he was coming back from an injury, he just isn’t as effective without the ball in his hands, a role that Williamson might be uniquely built for.
Figuring out how to optimize Zion Williamson long-term is going to be a chore. He might be best as a three in order to manage the wear-and-tear on his body. Getting the most
The Pelicans simply out-hustled the Sixers on Friday night. It was clear from the jump ball that New Orleans wanted this one more than Philadelphia. “They got all the 50-50 balls, the hustle plays,” Harris said. “Too many bad plays…our energy wasn’t where it needed to be.”
Will Joel Embiid play on Saturday? Doc Rivers said the plan coming into the contest was for Embiid to play both ends of the back-to-back, however, with the big man falling awkwardly (he appeared to hurt his knee again), the team needs to reevaluate. Given that it’s against Oklahoma City and not a tougher opponent, I’d be surprised if Embiid suits up.
