On Friday evening, the New Orleans Pelicans hosted the Milwaukee Bucks at the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans lost by a score of 139-118.
Zion Williamson finished the loss with 32 points, two rebounds and two assists while shooting 13/17 from the field in 30 minutes of playing time.
NBA World Reacts To Zion Williamson’s Performance On Friday Night
Here’s what people were saying about Williamson:
ClutchPoints: “Zion Williamson WENT OFF in the 1st half of Pelicans-Bucks 👀 – 21 points – 9-of-11 shooting – 15 minutes played New Orleans trails Milwaukee 71-65 heading into the 3rd quarter”
Hoop Central: “Zion Williamson tonight: 32 Points 2 Rebounds 2 Assists 13/17 FGM 30 Minutes”
Pelicans Nation: “Zion Williamson DOING IT ALL 😤”
New Orleans Pelicans: “Z with the tough bucket ⬆️”
Jim Eichenhofer: “Zion finished first half with 21 pts on 9/11 FG. His season high is 35 (Jan. 2 vs. Portland)”
Williamson came into the night with averages of 21.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 58.4% from the field in 40 games.
He is in his seventh NBA season out of Duke (all with the Pelicans).
The 25-year-old was the first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Keith Smith wrote (before the game): “If Zion Williamson plays as he is expected to tonight (Friday), that will be his 41st game played this season. That will trigger a $16.8M contract guarantee for the 2026-27 season. If Williamson meets various weight conditions, he can trigger an additional $8.4M in guarantees. From there, at 51 games played, guarantee grows to $25.3M. Then, at 61 games played, guarantee grows to $33.7M Full guarantee of $42.2M would come by playing in 61 games and meeting various weight conditions, or on July 15.”
With their loss to the Bucks, the Pelicans dropped to 15-42 in 57 games, which has them as the 14th seed in the Western Conference.
They are in the middle of a two-game losing streak (and 4-6 over their last ten).
Via Pelicans Lead: “Zion tonight: 💪32 PTS 💪2 REB 💪2 AST 💪13-17 FG (76%) First 30 ball this month”
Following the Bucks, the Pelicans will play their next game on Saturday when they host the Philadelphia 76ers in New Orleans.
At home, they are 9-21 in 30 games.
On the other side, the Bucks are 24-30 in 54 games, which has them as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference.
They are in the middle of a three-game winning streak (and 6-4 over their last ten).
Following the Pelicans, the Bucks will play their next game on Sunday afternoon when they return home to host the Toronto Raptors in Wisconsin.
