Zion Williamson responds to Shaquille O’Neal criticism after leading New Orleans Pelicans past Minnesota Timberwolves

Zion Williamson responded to criticism of his performances with a season-high 36 points as the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-107 in the NBA.

The former No. 1 overall pick came under fire after scoring 13 points on eight shots in the heavy In-Season Tournament semi-final loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA great Shaquille O’Neal said Williamson "doesn't run hard...doesn’t create easy points for himself...doesn’t have that look, and doesn't rebound".

But the 23-year-old played a leading role as the Pelicans handed the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves just their fifth defeat of the season.

Asked about the criticism aimed towards him, Williamson said: “If it comes from a great place and a place where they just want to see me do better, thank you.

“But if it comes from anywhere else, everybody's entitled to their own opinion. You can't control that.

“It's been like that since I was 16 years old. If I want to be one of the best players in the league, if we don't win in a big moment or something bad happens, that's to be expected. I'm just glad we responded.”

Williamson was taken first in the 2019 draft by the Pelicans and was tipped to be one of the top prospects in recent history.

But he has been hit by various injury issues, playing just 24 games as a rookie and then missing the entire 2021-22 season.

“I can't just take a back seat or kind of be too laid back," he added after the win over the Timberwolves.

“So, my thought process was to be aggressive. My team-mates trust me.”

Reflecting on the one-sided loss to the Lakers, he said: “That was a bad performance. It doesn’t take rocket science to see that.

“We kind of went into the game too lackadaisical. There was no focus, there was no effort…that wasn't a good moment for us."

The Los Angeles Clippers won their fourth straight game as they beat the Portland Trail Blazers 132-127.

Kawhi Leonard scored 34 point, and Paul George and James Harden both had 20.

Leonard has netted 75 points in his last two games.

“The biggest thing is health and finally getting his rhythm with PG and James starting,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.

The Denver Nuggets ended a three-game losing run with a 129-122 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Jamal Murray top scored with 29 points for the defending champions, with Nikola Jokic firing in 25 points.

“We were playing like we were in a panic,” Jokic said.

“A win is a win and that's the most important thing…we got the stops when we needed it.”

Bogdan Bogdanovic netted 40 points in defeat for the Hawks, who had Trae Young ejected in the third quarter after arguing with an official.

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