Zion Williamson’s 360 windmill upsets Suns at end of loss to Pelicans
Dec 9, 2022, 9:23 PM
Benches clear at the end of the fourth quarter of an NBA game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns at Smoothie King Center on December 09, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
With five seconds left in Friday’s contest, Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul missed a layup at a scoreline of 126-117 against the New Orleans Pelicans. Larry Nance Jr. grabbed the rebound and threw it ahead to Zion Williamson, who did not decide to run the clock out and instead made a statement with a 360 windmill.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… ZION WILLIAMSON. pic.twitter.com/MhjV7Zpl0R
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 10, 2022
Paul made his way toward the Pelicans bench to voice his displeasure with a group he has connections to, like head coach Willie Green. That’s when New Orleans guard Jose Alvarado spoke back to Paul, and once Green stepped in to make sure the two guards remained separated, both benches made their way over for a kerfuffle.
Suns assistant head coach Kevin Young had words in Green’s direction, and at this point, players are more than willing to prove they won’t back down from any confrontation. New Orleans wing Naji Marshall was one of them, eager to speak in the direction of the Suns and lightly shove Phoenix center Jock Landale back when Landale got in his face.
That’s when we moved to our final stage of a kerfuffle, which is the peacekeepers doing their jobs. Big men Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance Jr. made sure the rest of their Pelicans teammates weren’t close to anyone from the Suns while others like Suns guard Cam Payne kept the conversation going from a distance.
Phoenix head coach Monty Williams appeared frustrated that everyone was still out on the court and directed his entire team off, grabbing Paul. As they walked off, Alvarado kept jawing, which forced those two to pause for a few moments to take that in before finally walking off the court.
The Suns didn't appreciate this from Zion.
Rematch on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/1BK8w670mz
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) December 10, 2022
Williamson’s bulletin board material for the Suns will be something Phoenix immediately gets to use. The two teams face off again in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. That’s a tip-off you can hear on Arizona Sports 98.7.
