There might not have been a better test of the New Orleans Pelicans' mettle than their Tuesday night contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Over the past few weeks, the Pelicans have been playing much better basketball, thanks in large part to Zion Williamson's emergence. However, a lethargic second quarter effort doomed the Pelicans, proving to be too big of an obstacle to overcome en route to a 119-112 loss despite a major comeback effort in the fourth quarter.

In fact, the Pelicans, for a while in the final period, were in the driver's seat, taking a 112-107 lead with 3:11 remaining. However, they proceeded to go scoreless for the rest of the contest, with the Thunder going on a 12-0 run to seal the victory. Williamson, while not pointing fingers, said that he has to be more assertive and that the entire team must be smarter when it comes to managing the clock.

“We definitely could have managed the clock better and had some more movement. We were kinda stagnant. I gotta demand the ball more in those situations,” Williamson said in his postgame presser, via Pelicans Film Room on Twitter (X).

Indeed, Zion Williamson, despite coughing the ball up five times, represented the Pelicans' best offensive weapon on the night. He scored 29 points on 10-17 shooting from the field, and he dished out 10 assists for good measure. However, he did not take another shot from the 3:10 mark onward.

It was CJ McCollum who decided to take things in his own hands; alas, some of McCollum's choices, especially his decision to pull up from three in semi-transition with 1:48 to go, may not have been the best given the circumstances.

McCollum has the green light to shoot those kinds of shots, but moving forward, Zion Williamson will have to take command of his team late in close games. After all, he is the Pelicans' best player and they can only go as far as he goes.

Despite the loss, the Pelicans can hold their heads high

Poor late-game execution notwithstanding, the Pelicans put up a heck of a fight against the Thunder despite missing the services of Brandon Ingram. Zion Williamson was a juggernaut once again, attacking the rim relentlessly even though Chet Holmgren, one of the best shot-blockers in the league, was patrolling the paint.

Alas, a better distribution of shots should serve the Pelicans much better; CJ McCollum took 24 shots, and yet he made just eight of them. Williamson can be turnover-prone when tasked to create from the perimeter, but during heightened adversity, teams know that it's time for their star player to take control of the wheel and steer them to victory lane.

Still, despite the crushing defeat, Zion Williamson cherished the playoff atmosphere of the matchup between the Pelicans and the Thunder, as it helps prepare them for what lies ahead.

“This is what being competitive is all about… These games are fun to play in… When I watch playoff basketball, this is what games look like… whoever stays the most disciplined gets the win,” Williamson said.

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