By the time Zion Williamson checked in to start the second period, the Pelicans already were on thin ice. New Orleans did, though, make a run with him in the game and pulled the lead back to nearly single digits before it was blown open again.
That run, though, was done largely without scoring contributions from Williamson. After looking like he hadn’t missed a beat against Utah, the opposite was true against the Clippers.
Williamson struggled to finish at the rim on Saturday. On a trio of occasions, he got uncontested looks at the rim and couldn’t convert. In this play, the Pelicans ran a little weave action that ends with a dribble handoff to Williamson who can attack the rim at full speed. JaMychal Green does his best but Williamson’s sidestep creates space and he elevates at the rim but misses.
After Thursday’s game against Utah, Williamson talked about needing to get a rhythm and flow to his game back. While that didn’t look to be the case against the Jazz, Williamson looked like a man who had missed two weeks against the Clippers on Saturday.