The New Orleans Pelicans needed another monster effort from Zion Williamson to overcome the lowly Cavaliers last night.
The Pels were still shorthanded without Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, but got big nights from their two stars, as Zion poured in another 38 points and Brandon Ingram added 27 of his own in a night where the Pels got down double digits before roaring back.
This would have been an ugly loss, as the Pels were fresh off a big win over the 76ers and are still clinging to their playoff hopes, now just one game back of the Warriors for the final play-in spot.
What more can you say about Zion Williamson? He has been on fire of late, averaging 32.9 points on over 60 percent shooting over his last ten games and looking like a top-ten player in the league.
Zion has been spectacular since taking over the point forward role and the Pels have the 2nd-best offense in the league in that time.
It was actually nice to see the Pels show some heart and come back against a bad team. They have a nasty habit of playing down to the competition and this is a game they likely would have blown earlier in the season.
But Zion Williamson has the Pelicans a little more focused and is trying to carry them to the playoffs. Zion wasn’t the only positive from a win where the Pels had to overcome some adversity.
New Orleans Pelicans: Brandon Ingram found his shot
Brandon Ingram was coming off one of his worst shooting performances of the season against the 76ers, where he shot just 5-for-21 from the field.
He found his shot against the Cavaliers notching 27 points behind 8-of-18 shooting that included 3-of-6 from 3-point range and hitting all eight of his free throws.
Ingram sealed the game late from the free throw line, and it was nice to see him bounce back and have a big game. It was also nice to see him do more than score, as Ingram had eight assists (more on that later) and added four boards in his 36 minutes.
He was Robin to Zion’s Batman, which is exactly what the New Orleans Pelicans need him to be.