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New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson erupted for a career-high 39 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists while shooting 16-of-19 from the field on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets. Williamson's career outing placed him in the same stratosphere as that of Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal and Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.
According to Justin Kubatko, Friday marked Williamson's fourth game where he notched at least 30 points while shooting at least 80 percent from the field. O'Neal was the last player to record four such games in a single campaign. Like Williamson, Shaq did it in his sophomore year in the 1993-94 season.
Zion Williamson scored 39 points on 16-19 shooting from the field last night.
It was the fourth time this season Williamson has scored 30+ PTS with an 80+ FG%. The last NBA player to record at least four such games in a single season was Shaquille O'Neal in 1993-94. pic.twitter.com/wEn2MNROja
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) March 27, 2021
Furthermore, per Will Guillory of The Athletic, the 6-foot-7 high-flyer became just the fourth player since 2010 to notch at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, while shooting 80 percent from the field. Jokic has done it twice in his career so far, while retired Charlotte Hornets wing Gordon Hayward and former New Orleans forward David West did it once.
Since 2010, here are all the players to finish a game with 35+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists while shooting at least 80% from the field:
David West
Gordon Hayward
Nikola Jokic (2x)
Zion Williamson— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) March 27, 2021
These are certainly impressive accomplishments from Williamson, considering how much the NBA game has changed. While majority of players have adopted to more of an outside-oriented game, the Pelicans athletic freak continues to stick to his strengths and bully his way inside the paint. That was on full display on Friday as all of his shots came at the cup, save for one three-pointer, which he converted.
Unfortunately, the Nuggets spoiled Williamson's career night by coming through with a 113-108 victory in a tight finish. Nikola Jokic matched Williamson with a masterpiece of his own. The Joker dropped 37 points, six rebounds, and nine assists to power the Nuggets to their 27th win of the season. Meanwhile, New Orleans succumbed to 19-25 on the season as they continue to fall behind the play-in picture.
