The Pelicans double-kill Pistons are infinitely close to the top four!Zion hit 36 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 13 consecutive 13-of-14 shooting
On March 25, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. In today's East-West matchup, the Pelicans defeated the Pistons 114-101 on the road, improving their record to 44-27 and continuing to rank fifth in the West.
Facing the Pistons, who are the last in the East, the Pelicans exploded 29-10 in the first quarter to establish a huge lead, and although the Pistons rebounded and scored 31 points in the second quarter, the Pelicans always maintained a double-digit lead. After withstanding the Pistons' late comeback, the Pelicans finally won comfortably on the road, and they completed the double of the season against the Pistons.
The Pelicans were able to win today, and the star Zion was undoubtedly the biggest contributor. In the whole game, Zion started 36 minutes, 13 of 14 shots (92.9% shooting rate), no three-point shots, 10 of 14 free throws, a total of 36 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals, although there were 4 turnovers, but the plus/minus was as high as +18, the highest in the game!
According to statistics, Zion became the second player in NBA history in the past 50 years to score at least 35 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a single game and shoot at least 90% from the field, the last player being Jokic. Zion, meanwhile, is averaging 18.6 points per game in the paint this season, a number that is not only the highest in the league this season, but also the highest for any player in the last 25 years.
On top of that, after today's win, the Pelicans have a 9-2 record in their last 11 games. With the Clippers losing to the 76ers today, the Pelicans are just 0.5 wins away from the Clippers. With about 11 games left in the regular season, the Pelicans are not without the possibility of overtaking the Clippers. In the four meetings between the two teams this season, the Pelicans have a 3-1 record.
According to the schedule, the Pelicans will return to their home court to face the Thunder on March 27, and it will be interesting to see if they can continue their victory.