Duke Basketball in NBA: Zion Williamson Dominance Reaching New Heights

The Pelicans picked up a massive late-season victory in large part due to the play of former Duke basketball superstar Zion Williamson.

Former Duke basketball forward Zion Williamson / Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

With the NBA regular season drawing to a close, teams are all fighting their hardest to get themselves in the best position for when the postseason tips off on Tuesday, April 16, with the first Play-In Tournament game. The difference between ending up in the play-in portion of the tournament and clinching an outright playoff berth are much different, and former Duke basketball phenom Zion Williamson is doing his best to earn his squad a true playoff berth.

Williamson, the 2018-19 Naismith Player of the Year as a Blue Devil freshman who then went No. 1 overall to New Orleans in the ensuing NBA Draft, put up a near triple-double on Sunday night to propel the Pelicans (46-32) to a 113-105 road victory over the Phoenix Suns (46-32).

The 23-year-old NBA Blue Devil finished with 29 points in the contest, adding 10 rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks in his 39 minutes of play while shooting 11-for-21 from the field and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.

While not all his season stats are career-highs, Williamson is experiencing perhaps his best year as a professional in terms of health. The 6-foot-6 forward is averaging 22.9 points and 5.8 rebounds, as well as a career-high 5.0 assists across 66 appearances this season. It’s the most games Williamson has played in a single season, after injuries kept him off the floor for a total of 132 games over his first three seasons. 

His performance helped the No. 7 seed Pelicans pick up a massive victory, with the win over the No. 6 seed Suns giving the two Western Conference squads equal records at 46-32 with just four games remaining on their schedules.

ZION. WILLIAMSON. pic.twitter.com/9Hd3F2HpSW

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 8, 2024

The victory has extra importance as the two teams sit on opposite sides of the cut line. The Suns, who would own the tiebreaker over the Pelicans due to their 2-1 record in head-to-head battles this season, currently hold the final outright playoff spot in the Western Conference, while the Pelicans currently sit at the top of the four teams in the play-in portion of the tournament.

Brandon Ingram, New Orleans' other Duke product and centerpiece talent, has been out of commission since hyperextending his left knee on March 21 but has recently progressed to the point of participating in on-court workouts.

On the other side of the court in Sunday’s game, the Suns’ lone Duke basketball alum Grayson Allen played 37 minutes and finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and an assist while shooting just 4-for-11 from the field. Allen, the NBA's leader in 3-point percentage this season at 46.6 percent, also tallied a pair of steals and a pair of blocks in the loss.

New Orleans will continue its road trip out west with a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday as the Pelicans look to continue their push for the No. 6 seed.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI for more updates on NBA Blue Devils and other Duke basketball news.