NBA superstar Zion Williamson did most of his best work on the defensive end as New Orleans overpowered South East Melbourne in their tour-ending exhibition clash.<\/p>\n
Williamson had an impact early and the Pelicans never trailed in their dominant 127-92 win at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.<\/p>\n
It gave the visitors a 2-0 sweep of Australian rivals in their historic pre-season series after a 107-97 victory over Melbourne United two days earlier.<\/p>\n
The games marked the first time an NBA team has played Down Under.<\/p>\n
As expected, Williamson played only 15 first-half minutes and didn’t return after the main break as he builds into a predicted breakout season with his vastly improved physique.<\/p>\n
The former No.1 draft pick was levels above his NBL opponents, finishing with eight points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.<\/p>\n
Fellow starters Saddiq Bey (21 points), Jordan Poole (15) and Jeremiah Fears (12) also stood out.<\/p>\n
There was a sour note for New Orleans when guard Jose Alvarado hurt his right knee while under pressure from Phoenix import Hunter Maldonado.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alvarado limped off after hurting his right knee. (Getty Images: Morgan Hancock)<\/p>\n
Alvarado limped off the court in the third period and played no further part.<\/p>\n
Jordan Hunter (17 points), Nathan Sobey and Akech Aliir (both 16) led the scoring for South East Melbourne.<\/p>\n
NBL Next Star Malique Lewis had mixed results for the Phoenix in his first outing against NBA opposition.<\/p>\n
The draft prospect had eight points, five rebounds, four assists and two turnovers.<\/p>\n
New Orleans asserted their authority from the tip and surged 20 points clear in the second period as the teams’ vastly different shooting fortunes told a tale.<\/p>\n
The Pelicans were in party mode when Poole connected with Karlo Matkovic for an alley-oop from half-court, and Williamson’s defensive hustle led to No.7 draft pick Fears’ double-clutch dunk.<\/p>\n
A huge score was on the cards when the Pels led 74-55 at the main break, but they toned it down in the second half, cruising to a comfortable win with the bench given plenty of minutes.<\/p>\n
NBA teams have now won 25 of 26 pre-season games against NBL clubs since the “NBAxNBL” series was introduced in 2017.<\/p>\n
The only outlier was in 2022, when the Adelaide 36ers stunned the Phoenix Suns.<\/p>\n
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