The New Orleans Pelicans made an epic comeback in their matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. Despite the back-and-forth exchange, they still edged out their opponents as they received a timely contribution from point guard Lonzo Ball, who had a career outing in the game.
With his all-around stat line, the 23-year-old playmaker was able to make history as he joined Jason Kidd, Antoine Walker, and Russell Westbrook as the only players to tally such numbers in a game in league history, via StatMuse.
Games with 8+ threes, 8+ rebounds, 8 +assists, 3+ steals in NBA history:
— Jason Kidd (1995)
— Antoine Walker (2002)
— Russell Westbrook (2017)
— Lonzo Ball (tonight)(Submitted by @AhaanRungta) pic.twitter.com/YxSzdR7wBz
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 2, 2021
On the floor, both teams were eager to grab the win as they refused to go down without putting up a fight. The game eventually extended to an overtime period but the Pelicans managed to capitalize on their opportunities as they secured a 140-136 victory on the road. With the win, New Orleans improved to a 29-35 record to nab the 11th spot in the Western Conference.
Ball eventually finished the contest with a new career-high of 33 points in which he surpassed his previous tally of 29, set back in October of 2017 during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers, via Pelicans PR.
Despite his career game, Ball deflected the credit and claimed that the entire team rode on the production of Pelicans star Zion Williamson who led the way for their comeback bid in the fourth quarter, via Jim Eichenhofer.
Lonzo Ball (career-high 33 pts at Min) postgame with @ESPNRadioNOLA on #Pelicans mentality trailing by 10 late in 4Q: "Just keep fighting, keeping composure and getting (defensive) stops. We just rode on Zion's back and he took us to the finish line."
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) May 2, 2021
The All-Star forward concluded the tilt with a near triple-double output of 37 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists for his team. After grabbing the much-needed win against the Timberwolves, the Pelicans have inched closer to the San Antonio Spurs who are currently listed at the 10th seed in the West with a 31-31 record.
With less than 10 games left to play in the regular season, Ball and his team still have a chance to participate in the play-in tournament for the playoffs if they can successfully overtake the Spurs in their coming games. Certainly enough, huge performances will continue to be expected from both Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson as they lead the Pelicans' longshot bid for a playoff seat this season.
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