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“Destroyed Us”: Coach Ty Lue Bows Down to Zion Williamson After Season Defeat vs Pesky Pelicans

Published 03/15/2024, 11:26 PM EDT

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Tyronn Lue learned his lesson after a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Tonight, star forward Zion Williamson took charge and decimated the shorthanded LA Clippers with brute force. The 23-year-old dropped 34 points with 7 rebounds and orchestrated his team to a comfortable 112-104 victory. In response to the defeat, Ty Lue had nothing but respect for his opponent. Moreover, he also went on to devise a plan for any future encounters.

During the press meet, Lue said, “Down the stretch of all 3 games they won this year, 3 of the 4, he’s dominated us… they’ve destroyed us 3 out of the 4 games with him doing the same play over and over. Give them credit. When the game’s on the line, it’s a close game. He always takes over the game down the stretch.”

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Apart from giving  Zion Williamson his due credit, Ty Lue also revealed the plan to contain the rising superstar in their future encounters. He added, “Going down the stretch when we wanna double-team him, we gotta double-team him like we said. Coming out of the timeout, we just gotta make sure we give him different looks.”  

On the other hand, Williamson has worked his way up in this season. He was subjected to various criticisms in terms of health and playing style. After a long injury break, the youngster put in a big effort to get back in shape ahead of this season. Ultimately, he has been dominating the paint for the Pelicans. He currently holds second place after Giannis Antetokounmpo with an average of 17.3 points in the paint.

Tonight, the Clippers did have three big men in their lineup to stop Zion, but they weren’t equipped enough to stop his assertion. Moreover, the team didn’t have two other crucial players to back them.

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Shorthanded Clippers failed against the Zion force

James Harden missed his second game of this season, owing to a shoulder strain. On the other hand, Russell Westbrook, the leader of the Clippers’ second unit, suffered a finger fracture. The absence of the two stars played a crucial role in tonight’s defeat.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George dropped 49 points together, but they didn’t get enough support from the rest of the roster. The bench could contribute only 32 points, whereas the Pelican bench dropped 43 points. On top of it, Zion Williamson applied his sheer force to strangle the opponents at the end.

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The Clippers staged a fight back in the third quarter, dropping 36 points, cutting down the lead to 2 points. But it wasn’t enough. Will the Clippers pay back in their next outing? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is a Senior NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master's Degree in journalism from a distinguished institute, his journey into sports writing began during his college days, and since then, Shahul has been captivated not only by the remarkable consistency of Stephen Curry but also by the enduring legacy of LeBron James. He specializes in covering the live basketball action.
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Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra