Zion Williamson’s domination over Clippers should be a red flag for L.A.’s championship hopes

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Zion Williamson delivered another All-Star caliber performance against the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night, putting up 34 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 112-104 win over Los Angeles. This gives the Pelicans a 3-1 series win over the Clippers this season and closes the gap between the two teams in the standings to just two games. The Clippers sit at the No. 4 spot in the West, with the Pelicans not far behind at No. 5. 

It was an important win for New Orleans, but more than that, it showed once again this season that the Clippers don’t really have an answer for Williamson. Clippers coach Ty Lue spoke about this after the loss, not just about the dominance Williamson displayed Friday night but all season against L.A.

“Zion, down the stretch, of all three games they’ve won this year, three out of four, he dominated us the last six minutes of the third quarter – like we talked about before the game – and the whole fourth [quarter],” Lue said.

In four games against the Clippers this season, Williamson has averaged 24.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, five assists, and 1.8 steals and is shooting 52.1% from the field. He’s been the reason the Pelicans have won three of their four matchups against the Clippers, and Friday night was just the latest example of that. 

As Lue referenced, Williamson scored 16 of his 34 points in the third quarter and went a perfect 7 for 7 from the floor. He worked in a variety of floaters and layups and just used his sheer strength and force to power his way to the rim and finish with finesse around the basket. And we already know that when Williamson gets downhill he’s a nightmare to contain, and in back-to-back scores for the former No. 1 overall pick, he showed why.

On this first drive, he got Mason Plumlee out on an island on the perimeter. Though Plumlee matches Williamson well in size, and he did a good job of moving his feet so he didn’t get burned when the Pelicans forward took his first step, Williamson just dropped his shoulder a bit, drove to the…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/zion-williamsons-domination-over-clippers-should-be-a-red-flag-for-l-a-s-championship-hopes/

Author : Jasmyn Wimbish

Publish date : 2024-03-16 18:52:49

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