Zion Williamson's NBA debut: Pelicans rookie puts on show in fourth quarter vs. Spurs

Jordan Greer

•
Zion Williamson's NBA debut: Pelicans rookie puts on show in fourth quarter vs. Spurs image

The Zion Williamson era started off with a bang.

After months of speculation about his return date, Williamson finally took the floor Wednesday night against the Spurs. The No. 1 overall pick struggled early, but he exploded for 17 straight points in the fourth quarter, finishing with 22 total in the Pelicans' 121-117 loss at the Smoothie King Center. He did a lot of his damage from the outside, hitting all four of his 3-point attempts.

"We had talked at halftime about — I thought he was just deferring way too much," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said after the game. "I wanted him to be aggressive. I knew that he would make some mistakes, but I think what you saw there is a taste of what — once we really get settled in, and he gets settled in — I think you can see that there's a lot of things that we can do with him. And there's a lot of potential there."

Check out the best highlights from Williamson's NBA debut below.

MORE: Three big questions follow Zion Williamson's dazzling NBA debut

Pelicans vs. Spurs score

  1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Total
Pelicans  24 27 31 35 117
Spurs 31 29 34 27 121

Highlights from Zion Williamson's NBA debut​

Final: Spurs 121, Pelicans 117

12:10 a.m. ET — Zion Williamson's final line: 22 points (8-of-11 from the field, 4-of-4 from 3-point range), seven rebounds, three assists and five turnovers in 18 minutes. He set a franchise record for most points by a Pelicans rookie in his debut. There was definitely a little rust, but that fourth-quarter run was special.

11:55 p.m. ET — An incredible run for the rookie, but his night could be over. He is subbed out with about five minutes left in regulation.

Here is Zion's entire fourth-quarter explosion:

11:45 p.m. ET — OH MY. ZION IS ON FIRE.

He explodes with four 3-pointers in less than three minutes and scores 17 straight points for the Pelicans. 

11:35 p.m. ET — Now there's the Zion Williamson we've seen before. He flies in for the rebound and dishes to E'Twaun Moore in transition. 

End of third quarter: Spurs 94, Pelicans 82

11:30 p.m. ET — This one is all Spurs through three quarters. The Pelicans can't stop LaMarcus Aldridge, who is up to 26 points in 28 minutes. Zion Williamson is struggling to find a groove. His stretches on the floor are simply too short for him to make a real impact.

11:10 p.m. ET — Jaxson Hayes finds Zion Williamson with a nice bounce pass, and Williamson finishes inside. Similar to the first quarter, JJ Redick replaces Williamson early in the third.

11:05 p.m. ET — Zion Williamson attacks baseline and draws the foul. That's by far his most aggressive move of the night. He hits one out of two free throws.

Halftime: Spurs 60, Pelicans 51

10:45 p.m. ET — It was a mostly uneventful half for Zion Williamson. That shouldn't come as a surprise considering he only logged eight minutes of playing time. Don't start firing off the hot takes yet, folks. Let's give the kid some time to get comfortable.

The Spurs dominated the first 24 minutes, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from 3-point range. LaMarcus Aldridge leads all scorers with 16 points.

10:30 p.m. ET — Zion Williamson heads to the bench at the 7:40 mark of the second quarter. He's got two points (1-of-2 from the field), three rebounds, one assist and two turnovers.

10:20 p.m. ET — He's on the board. Zion Williamson hustles for the offensive rebound and scores his first career points.

End of first quarter: Spurs 31, Pelicans 24

10:15 p.m. ET — The Spurs take an early lead with a balanced scoring attack. Nine different San Antonio players scored at least two points in the opening frame. Zion Williamson will re-enter the game to start the second quarter.

9:55 p.m. ET — After playing just under four minutes, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry subs in JJ Redick for Zion Williamson. It appears the Pelicans will stick with short bursts for Williamson, who leaves the floor with no points (0-of-1 from the field), one assist and one turnover.

9:50 p.m. ET — Zion Williamson finds Brandon Ingram cutting to the basket for his first career assist. 

9:45 p.m. ET — And here we go ...

9:30 p.m. ET — Zion Williamson pulls out a fresh pair of kicks for his debut. The "Bayou Boys" are in the building. 

9:15 p.m. ET — Just a few light slams for the fans to keep them entertained until tipoff.

9:05 p.m. ET — In case you forgot how impactful Zion Williamson can be, a quick reminder on his preseason stats: 23.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 71.4 percent from the field. Seems pretty good, huh?

8:50 p.m. ET — It's official. Zion Williamson will start against the Spurs. The full lineup ...

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.