New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson was able to go through a full practice session with no ill effects following his debut in Wednesday night's 121-117 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, according to a report from Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
Williamson had been recovering from a torn meniscus, but at long last, he was cleared to play for Wednesday night's game. It was his debut game, and the basketball-loving world was watching with intent. Interestingly, though, the fireworks didn't start until the fourth quarter.
At first, it seemed as though Zion's NBA debut would be uneventful, as he started off slow. His true potential wasn't shown until the second half.
Zion finally came alive in the fourth quarter. He knocked down four consecutive 3-pointers to give the Pelicans a 107-106 come-from-behind lead at one point. However, New Orleans was unable to hold their advantage after the former Duke standout was finally subbed to the bench for precautionary measures:
.@Zionwilliamson didn't miss from distance, going 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter during his 17-point scoring stretch! pic.twitter.com/vylmrTvSLD
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 23, 2020
An actual disagreement between Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry and the team's medical staff broke out in real time as Zion was on his scoring rampage. The medical team wanted Zion to be benched, as it was his first game back from meniscus recovery. Gentry, on the other hand, bought his rookie a bit of extra playing time, asking for just a couple more minutes. Ultimately, Williamson was called to the bench in the closing minutes. Had he stayed in, though, New Orleans may have won.
In his 18 minutes of action, Zion racked up 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field (4-of-4 from beyond the arc), seven rebounds and three assists.
Through the first three quarters, Zion had just five points on 2-of-3 shooting to go with four rebounds. In his outstanding fourth quarter, though, he racked up 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting (4-of-4 from downtown) and three rebounds. Remarkably, he became the first debuting player to go 4-for-4 from 3-point land in NBA history.
The Pelicans will be back in action on Friday night, when they'll serve as hosts to the Denver Nuggets. Tip-off inside the Smoothie King Center is set for 8:00 p.m. ET.
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