Zion Williamson notches new season-high as Pelicans respond with win over Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green called for self-reflection after the New Orleans Pelicans lost by 44 points on Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

“We all look in the mirror and try to figure out what we can do better,” Green said. “We want to come out on our home floor with a sense of urgency. Playing our style. Get back to playing our basketball.”

On Monday, in their first game since getting drilled in the Las Vegas desert, the Pelicans responded with a 121-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Smoothie King Center.

The New Orleans Pelicans host the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Smoothie King Center, Mondat Dec. 11, 2023.

Forward Zion Williamson, who was scrutinized for his poor conditioning in the three days in between games, scored a season-high 36 points. 

Williamson looked dominant against the NBA’s top-ranked defense. He converted 13 of 17 shots from the field and knocked down 10 of 12 free throws.

“That was a bad performance,” Williamson said about Thursday’s game. “It don’t take rocket science to see that. That was not a good performance. From start to finish, they played better than us. We have a lot of potential. But we also have a lot of room for growth. I think how we responded was well, but I think we have to be more consistent.”

The Pelicans benefited from Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves’ leading scorer, missing Monday’s game with a right hip pointer. New Orleans’ win allowed it to improve to 13-11 ahead of a three-game road trip, which starts Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

In the front court, the Timberwolves started 6-foot-11 Karl-Anthony Town and 7-foot Rudy Gobert. While they are typically one of the NBA’s best teams at preventing paint points, Williamson cracked their interior defense.

Gobert picked up his fourth foul with 8:36 remaining in the third quarter. With him on the bench for the remainder of the quarter, the Pelicans lived at the free-throw line. They attempted 19 free throws in the third quarter, converting 14.

Williamson scored on a spinning layup despite getting fouled on the Pelicans’ first possession after halftime. He never let his foot off the gas pedal in the final two quarters. He poured in 14 points in the third quarter. In the fourth, he added seven more.

With 5:21 remaining, Williamson tied his season-high of 33 points with a driving layup from the right side of the floor. That shot put the Pelicans ahead by 12.

On the Pelicans’ next possession, Williamson set a new season-high by hitting a layup from the left side of the floor over Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels.

CJ McCollum was strong in a supporting role. The veteran guard hit four 3-pointers on his way to 23 points. His make from 25 feet with 1:33 remaining stretched the Pelicans’ lead to 15 points. 

“The main goal for myself was to help my team get a win,” Williamson said. “I feel like when we win, winning cures all. There was a lot to learn from the Lakers game. But we responded well.”

The Pelicans are 9-4 at Smoothie King Center this season.

“The biggest things is, ‘What can we control?'” Green said. “We can make a decision as a team that we want to guard. That we can communicate on the floor. That we can rebound the ball. Things that we haven’t done as well as we’ve needed to. Then we can get into our plays. We can run. We can get up and down and play with a sense of urgency.”