After their back-breaking one-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, second-year forward Zion Williamson expressed his belief that the New Orleans Pelicans lost simply because they didn't execute as they should've.
Per William Guillory of The Athletic, Williamson commented on their 111-110 loss to the Thunder. The 20-year-old finished with a game-high 29 points, along with six rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes.
Zion: "Tonight, we didn't do our job. That's why we didn't get the result we wanted."
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 7, 2021
The game was decided in the final seconds of the game. Zion Williamson gave the Pelicans a one-point lead with a lay-up with just a little over 30 seconds in the clock. In the Thunder's possession, they had two cracks at the basket, thanks to an offensive rebound by veteran center Al Horford.
The first attempt was a missed lay-up by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The second one was also a lay-up attempt by George Hill, who was fouled by Lonzo Ball. Hill knocked down both free throws to give them the lead.
After the timeout, the Pelicans set up a play for Brandon Ingram, but the Thunder were quick to pounce on the All-Star, forcing him to pass the ball to Nickeil Alexander-Walker for the 3-pointer. Unfortunately, he missed the wide-open jumper, giving OKC the W.
The Thunder and the Pelicans are now 1-1 in their season series. In their first meeting, the Pels won convincingly 113-80.
New Orleans is now 4-4 in the young 2020-21 NBA season. For what it's worth, the Stan Van Gundy-led team is expected to at least make the playoffs this 2020-21—a major milestone in the development of their young core.
They Pelicans have a chance to bounce back on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets.
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