New Orleans Pelicans 102-118 Utah Jazz: Twitter explodes as Zion Williamson bullies Derrick Favors only for the Pels to lose in a blowout

Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots over Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Utah Jazz during a game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 19, 2021 (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots over Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Utah Jazz during a game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 19, 2021 (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

The New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz battled at Vivint Arena on Tuesday, with Zion Williamson making his way to the basket time and time again. However, it was the Jazz who were in tune tonight, dismantling the Pelicans 118-102.

Zion Williamson had 32 points on 14-of-19 shooting from the field, bullying his opponents at will when he drove down the lane.

Derrick Favors was caught at the wrong end of one of those drives and he got annihilated in the process. As expected, fans took to Twitter to express their sympathies for him.

The New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz announced their starters on Twitter

Zion Williamson and Donovan Mitchell came out firing in the first quarter. Williamson was 5-of-5 from the field with 10 points while Mitchell scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. The latter also made 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Here are some Twitter reactions to the duo's performances:

Williamson, in particular, showed off his strength, which was not lost on this Twitter user who gave him a nickname.

Twitterverse then followed with a barrage of hilarious reactions to Zion Williamson’s bullying tactics against Derrick Favors.

One user thought Zion was the embodiment of the MCU's biggest villain, Thanos.

In the second quarter, Mitchell and Rudy Gobert took charge for the Utah Jazz to give them a 55-49 lead by half-time.

The Utah Jazz destroyed the New Orleans Pelicans in the second half

In the third quarter, the Utah Jazz were cooking from all over the court. The New Orleans Pelicans couldn't do anything to stop them, especially with Joe Ingles knocking down threes in his first game back.

The Jazz made a total of eight three-pointers in the quarter to extend their lead to 91-69.

There was little that the New Orleans Pelicans could do in the fourth quarter but they gave it one last try. Led by Zion Williamson, the Pels cut the Utah Jazz's lead midway through the period.

However, the Jazz took control again with their 3-point shooters, making shots from everywhere. A fan even threatened to commit a capital crime if the Jazz lost.

In the end, the Utah Jazz were just too much for the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Jazz won 118-102 over the Pelicans tonight but the most talked-about story was Zion Williamson overpowering Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert on his way to 32 points on 74 percent field-goal shooting.

Here are more Twitter reactions to Williamson's performance:

With so much hype surrounding Zion Williamson and the fact that he's living up to expectations, it's no wonder many are calling him the next LeBron James or the next Charles Barkley.

The two teams meet again on Thursday for the second game of their back-to-back set.


Also Read: When is the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline?

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh