CLEVELAND -- New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson received a warm welcome in his first NBA regular-season road game Tuesday night as his team took on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Fans rushed to the courtside area as Williamson finished his pregame warm-up and gave him a nice ovation when he was introduced in starting lineups.
But when the game started, Williamson took a back seat as a former All-Star and a possible 2019-20 All-Star controlled the show for the Pelicans.
Jrue Holiday, an All-Star with the 76ers in 2013, had 28 points, eight assists, four blocks and three steals, while Brandon Ingram, who hopes to gain his first trip to the All-Star Game this year, had 24 points and six assists as the Pelicans defeated the Cavaliers, 125-111.
Williamson finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, but the Pelicans getting Holiday and Ingram going was a key in getting a win.
In the previous three games Ingram played with Williamson, he averaged 17 points per game but shot only 30.4 percent from the field while going 6-of-18 from deep. He almost passed up his made triples in the first quarter alone, going 4-of-4, the most 3-pointers he has ever had in a single quarter.
"It was good just taking what the defense was giving me," Ingram said. "Not forcing anything and trying to be effective in the game as much as possible. It was better tonight."
Holiday's defense was stellar. A first-team All-Defense selection two seasons ago and a second-team All-Defense selection last year, he was especially tough against Cavs forward Kevin Love.
When Love tried posting up Holiday, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound veteran more than held his ground. According to ESPN Stats and Information research, Love was 0-for-4 against Holiday, and Holiday blocked him twice.
"This is a normal thing," Holiday said. "I use my leverage because I'm lower to the ground than they are. At that point, if I don't let them into the paint, they'll shoot a turnaround fadeaway or something, so I'm living with that at that point."
With Ingram and Holiday performing at the level that has been expected of them, the Pelicans continued to work Williamson into the regular rotations.
Tuesday was the first time Williamson had two stints in the same quarter, two in the second and two in the fourth. It's another step forward in just his fourth NBA game.
When asked about his first road experience, Williamson decided to focus on the result.
"It was great we got the win," Williamson said. "Even though it was a road game, the crowd's energy was great, and I'm glad we came away with the win."
The Pelicans have now won 12 of their past 18 games overall, and the team is eyeing the playoff race. They sit 4.5 back of the Memphis Grizzlies, who the Pelicans host on Friday.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was asked about Williamson being slowed down by the Cavaliers and laughed about how the 19-year-old still had 14 points and nine rebounds. Still, the Pelicans are working on getting him as comfortable as possible.
"Anybody else, you would say that's a doggone good game," Gentry said. "We haven't had a ton of practices, this is his fourth overall. He's just like anybody else. But it's a learning process. We'll figure it out. We'll figure out spacing and things like that. He has to figure out exactly where he wants the ball and how we can get it there. But it's a pretty good game when you're in the process of learning."
Even with that learning, Williamson has done some historic things in his first four games.
According to research by the Elias Sports Bureau, Williamson is the first first-round pick to have at least 10 points and shoot better than 50 percent from the field in his first four games. Denver's Cedrick Hordges (five games in 1980) and Dan Issel (four games in 1976) were the only other players to do it regardless of draft status.
And according to ESPN Stats and Information research, Williamson is the fourth No. 1 overall pick in the lottery era to have at least 70 points and 30 rebounds in his first four games, joining Shaquille O'Neal (1992-93), David Robinson (1989-90) and Patrick Ewing (1985-86).
Williamson is also the first player to average at least 18 points and shoot 60 percent from the field in his first four games since Buck Williams in 1981-82.
All of it adds up to continuing the monumental hype surrounding Williamson and his NBA career, something he tries to put to the side.
"When I am chilling in my room or something, yeah I will think about [the hype] and what the future holds for me, but when I get to practice or get to the games, I just take it moment by moment and game by game," Williamson said. "I think that's the best thing I can do. If I look too far into the future, I might get distracted in the moment and that can detract the future."