New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray injured his lower right leg during the first quarter of Friday night’s game against Boston. The team is now preparing for his extended absence.
Pelicans head coach Willie Green briefly spoke to Murray after the game, which ended in a 118-116 loss. Murray sustained a non-contact injury and was seen holding his right Achilles tendon while limping to the bench.
“It’s a challenge. It’s a challenge,” Green said. “I’ll leave it at that.”
Green did not provide a specific diagnosis but noted that Murray, who had previously missed 17 games this season with a broken hand, would undergo imaging. “We’ll have an update after that,” Green added.
Although Green didn’t reveal the specifics of their conversation, Jose Alvarado shared that Murray spoke to the team at halftime.
“He’s one of the toughest soldiers I know,” Alvarado said. “He’s so mentally tough — at least that’s what he shows us. He kept his head up, and at halftime, he told us the news. I think I shed a tear. He’s just solid. He’ll be our leader. I told him, ‘I’m sending my prayers for you.’”
Murray had driven to the basket, missed his shot, and then attempted to recover the rebound, only to fall and clutch the area around his right foot. He limped to the bench afterward.
“It hurt a lot, I can’t lie to you,” said Trey Murphy III, who scored 40 points in the loss. “He’s already been through a lot, and this doesn’t help. But sometimes, God puts you through these situations for a bigger reason. I think that’s what’s happening now. It’s not always easy to understand, but there’s always a reason.”
After the injury, the Pelicans quickly announced Murray would not return to the game.
“It’s extremely difficult when you see someone who means so much to our team and works so hard go down like that,” Green said. “We’ll continue to pray for him and wait for the imaging results.”
The injury-riddled Pelicans were already without Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Herb Jones.
“These are the challenges we’ve been facing all season,” Green said.
With a 12-37 record, the Pelicans are near the bottom of the Western Conference and far from playoff contention. Losing Murray again would further add to the frustration of a disappointing season.
“We’ll continue to support him,” Green said. “We’ll wait for the results, but whatever happens,we’ll be there for him.”