Zion Williamson produces most efficient 30-point game in Pelicans franchise history
Zion Williamson scored 31 points in a win against the Kings on Sunday.
The Pelicans franchise has seen plenty of individual high-scoring performances over the years, but never one as near-perfect as Zion Williamson did on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings.
The ex-first overall pick racked up 31 points, a noteworthy performance even if it didn’t break any records. However, in the 128-123 victory, what stood out was Williamson’s accuracy. He only missed two shots, making 13 out of 15 attempts from the field and flawlessly sinking all five free throws.
Final stat leaders from tonight's win @Zionwilliamson 31 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast@B_Ingram13 22 pts, 3 reb, 3 3PM@EBled2 21 pts 6 reb, 3 3PM@jj_redick 14 pts, 3 ast, 3 3PM@RealStevenAdams 12 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast@HUBInsurance | #WontBowDown pic.twitter.com/L97cBXw6u8
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 18, 2021
With an 86.6% shooting rate, he sets a new record for the Pelicans franchise for the highest field goal percentage by a player scoring a minimum of 30 points. Coupled with a perfect record at the free throw line, no one as young as Williamson (20 years, 196 days) has achieved this level of efficiency in the past 35 years.
This season, the forward who stands at 6-foot-7 is averaging 22.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, with an impressive overall shooting percentage of 57.5%.
Williamson’s performance spoiled an epic one by Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who became the first player in the Kings’ Sacramento era to have 40 or more points and 10-plus assists in one game. Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald was the last player in franchise history to accomplish that feat, doing it in 1973 when the team played in Kansas City and Omaha.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
