NBA Summer League 2019: Knicks vs Pelicans - 3 Talking Points from Zion Williamson's first game
Two of the most exciting NBA Draft picks in Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett went head-to-head in Las Vegas when the New York Knicks met the New Orleans Pelicans for a high-stakes Summer League matchup. Former teammates and friends at the University of Duke, fans paid as high as $400 for lower bowl tickets to see these two clash on NBA soil for the first time.
In attendance at courtside were megastars such as LeBron James and his newest teammate Anthony Davis along with Floyd Mayweather and Zion's teammates Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, who headlined a crowd of prominent names that turned out for the game.
The Thomas & Mack Center was packed through all of its 17,500 seats and some 1,000 media credentials were issued as well for this thrilling showdown.
While the Pelicans ran out eventual winners with a scoreline of 80-74, the game incorporated various storylines, some of which may have far-reaching repercussions. Let's skim through a bunch of key takeaways from this Knicks-Pelicans battle that was disrupted by an unprecedented turn of events.
#1 Earthquake puts a stop to the much-anticipated summer league clash
Around the 7:53 mark of the final quarter, everybody in the crowd including the commentary staff felt tremors strong enough to shake the ground beneath them, literally. The referees called a stop to the contest as the players resigned to their respective benches while a major portion of the spectators headed for the exits.
"The report from the United States Geological Society is saying that that Earthquake was 7.1," ESPN's Doris Burke said on air of the third earthquake in less than two days on the West Coast. "That is significant, no question."
Both the high-hanging speakers as well as the jumbotron kept swaying dangerously as the onlookers watched. The stadium authorities waited for the apparatus to settle down in order to resume the game which stood at a 74-80 scoreline in the favour of the Pelicans.
Eventually, both the teams started heading to their locker rooms and the official announcement was made.
If the initially reported magnitude is correct, this would be the largest Southern California quake in 20 years.