New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was strangely hyped more than normal about his last free-throws on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets. Fortunately, the young stud was kind enough to unveil the reason why he was all excited.
According to Williamson, he was talking a bit of smack behind Josh Hart's back as the guard was about to shoot free-throws after a clear path foul. Hart knocked down both free throws which gave the Pelicans a safe six-point lead with 10 seconds left in the game. In an interesting turn of events, it was Williamson who had to go to the line just a few moments later. And the second-year man knew he had to back up his words.
Great moment here with Zion where he explains why he and assistant coach Fred Vinson were so hyped about his last two free throws. pic.twitter.com/KkdRbq7SG0
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) March 21, 2021
The Pelicans completed the upset over the Nuggets, 113-108. Any win is great but snagging a victory over a playoff team is definitely a big boost to the Pelicans' morale.
Article Continues BelowWilliamson himself stuffed the stat sheet with 30 points and six rebounds. He shot 9-of-13 from the field and an impressive 11-of-14 or 78.6 percent from the free-throw line. Williamson believes that the team's stellar free-throw shooting was a key element in their win.
“We executed and they missed some shots. Not a lot,” Williamson said, per the Associated Press via ESPN. “We hit some free throws and we got stops when we needed to get them.”
The win snaps the Pelicans' two-game skid. They now have an 18-24 record for 11th place in the competitive West. The team needs to rack up more wins if it wants to call this season a success.