NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Zion Williamson remained on the bench for the entire fourth quarter and overtime period as the New Orleans Pelicans completed a 25-point comeback victory over the Houston Rockets Thursday night.
Interim head coach James Borrego chose to keep Williamson out of the game’s critical moments, instead riding the momentum of players like Sadiq Bey, who scored a season-high 29 points.
The decision continues a pattern since Williamson’s return from injury last Sunday against the Chicago Bulls. Borrego has used the former first overall pick as a reserve in both games since his comeback.
Borrego explains decision to stick with momentum
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Borrego said his choice to keep Williamson on the bench was based on the group’s performance during the comeback.
“That group was rolling. That group was rolling. And these are tough decisions. I mean, it’s gonna be like this every night. Who do you go with? And I just, that group had momentum and I tend to stick with momentum,” Borrego said.
The coach added that he considered making substitutions but decided against disrupting the lineup’s flow.
“And again, we had conversation along the way. And at some point, you know, the whole group had been sitting there for a bit. We could have tried to, you know, bring somebody in off the bench cold. But I just thought that group, we had enough timeouts. There was enough rest with the overtime break to roll with them. And that’s what we did,” Borrego said.
Pelicans riding three-game win streak
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The victory extended New Orleans’ winning streak to three games. The Pelicans will look to make it four consecutive wins when they host the Indiana Pacers at the Smoothie King Center.
Indiana enters the game with six wins on the season and is on a three-game losing streak.
The Pelicans host the Pacers live on the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network Saturday night (Dec. 20). Coverage begins at 5:30 p.m.
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