Tennie Sumague
EBC New York Bureau

(Eagle News) – The battle for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference is up for grabs and Zion Williamson proved how hungry he and the New Orleans Pelicans are to clinch that playoff berth.

Williamson finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high five assists in 25 minutes as the Pelicans rolled to a 109-99 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

“I felt alive again,” Williamson said to ESPN reporter, Malika Andrews. “My competitive spirit was there, and I’m glad Coach [Gentry] and the whole team trusted me to finish the game out.”

The 20-year old has had limited playing time the last two games against the Utah Jazz and the LA Clippers. The future superstar looked dejected in the fourth quarter on the bench during Saturday’s blowout loss to the Clippers.

“I ain’t gonna lie to you, it’s just different in a bad way when I’m on the bench in the fourth quarter and there’s nothing I can do to help my team win,” Williamson said. “So I said I felt alive– it was just great to be out there doing whatever I can to help my team win. And as for the energy part, me and my teammates can just feed off each other.”

It was a much-needed victory for the Pelicans who sit in ninth position, 2.5 games behind the Grizzlies for the final playoff spot.

“We’ve got five games left now, but if we don’t get it now, we won’t be playing August 18 or whenever,” said Pelicans guard Josh Hart, who finished with 15 points off the bench. “It was big for us in terms of motivation [and] morale to get this win.”

(Eagle News Service)