The new-look New Orleans Pelicans have flaws, including availability issues, but found a way to notch a season-opening 123-111 home win over the Chicago Bulls. Sadly, Big Easy basketball fans were still fighting through traffic before the worst news of the night hit the airwaves. Any good vibes coming from Dejounte Murray’s debut with the Pelicans had been shattered by news of a hand fracture. It is an unfortunate turn of events for a seemingly jinxed franchise that was finally on the rise with Zion Williamson and Murray leading the way.
Pelicans All-Star Brandon Ingram told the story of the night in five words during the postgame press scrum.
“Dejounte ran the game today,” Ingram insisted.
Ingram was the star of the show on the stat sheet though. The 27-year-old finished with 33 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block while hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers. Murray (14 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds) made the team move per Ingram, and did so even while finding a shooting rhythm.
“(Murray) shared the basketball and we got stops on the defensive end,” Ingram stated. “(The Pelicans) executed and knew what Chicago wanted to do out of the pick and roll. We knew where some of their weaknesses were and we attacked it all night. We got threes up, got to the lane, and got to the free throw line.”
“He is an open communicator and receptive to information…It’s really fun because you notice when he is struggling (shooting) he is doing other things on the floor, especially defensively” added Ingram. “(Murray) had 10 assists tonight. Looking up and you see on the scoreboard, it’s like damn.”
Pelicans injury report in flux
The Pelicans injury report being in flux this early is nothing new for head coach Willie Green. Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III missed out on the season-opening home win over the Bulls. Williamson is back in action after suffering through a non-COVID illness but the Pelicans will be missing Murphy III for a few more weeks. It also appears Dejounte Murray’s fractured hand means over a month on the shelf.
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That is tough news for a Pelicans migration to the West Coast for two games against the Portland Trail Blazers before a back-to-back two-game set with the Golden State Warriors. Returning home to play the uptempo Indiana Pacers with shorthanded rotations will be no picnic either.
Ingram is not worried though. The Pelicans have depth that makes other contenders jealous. Green just has to use the various skill sets properly when certain pieces are missing.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that do different things,” Ingram stressed. “(CJ McCollum) was big for us today. He knocked down some huge threes and was efficient. The big fella (Yves Missi) did a great job rim running, blocking shots, and finishing. He is going to be really good.”