Zion Williamson described Tuesday’s 121-116 loss to the New York Knicks as “a hard fall tonight,” acknowledging the challenges down the stretch.
He noted New York’s efficiency, saying, “They were able to get to the shots they wanted and… Brunson just hit some tough shots.”
Reflecting on the team’s progress, Williamson added, “It steps in the right direction… those are just growing pains… we just got to finish it.”
On Jalen Brunson’s performance, he said, “His name says it all. He was aggressive from start to finish… you can see his maturity in the game as he’s picking and choosing what spots he wants to get to.”
Discussing the team’s offensive identity, Williamson explained, “We have a lot of talent… since everybody’s returned from injuries… we’ve been doing very well… realizing any night can be any guy’s night.”
He praised Dejounte Murray’s impact, saying, “I got to give him a lot of respect… even when he wasn’t around rehabbing on the West Coast, you could still feel his presence… he would even send me motivational text messages quite often.”
On lessons from this stretch of the season, Williamson stated, “Right now it’s about self-identity… we have a great team… we just got to close games… even if we closed half of those, our record would look a lot different.”
He addressed the team’s physicality, noting, “Where we aren’t so well is how we start games… if we can match physicality out the gate, our record will look a lot different.”
Williamson emphasized his aggressive play in the contest, adding, “Tonight’s performance… being very aggressive on both ends… make some two corners that keep yourself in the game.”
He also shared a personal reflection, saying, “I had a really great time in China… being able to walk up the Great Wall of China is something I’m going to cherish forever in my life.”
The Pelicans dropped to 25-48, with Williamson scoring 22 points and Jeremiah Fears adding 21. The Knicks improved to 48-25, powered by Jalen Brunson’s 32 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter.
New Orleans will visit Detroit on Thursday, while New York heads to Charlotte to continue their seven-game winning streak.
