Pelicans All-Star Dejounte Murray Has Season-Ending Injury vs Celtics

New Orleans can't catch a break this year.

Jan 29, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray warms up before a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans can't catch a break this year.

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, one-time All-Star guard Dejounte Murray incurred an Achilles tendon tear in his right leg during the first quarter of action Friday against the Boston Celtics and is now done for the rest of 2024-25.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray tore his Achilles and will miss the rest of the season, league sources tell @ChrisBHaynes.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 1, 2025

New Orleans' starting point guard departed the bout after just 8:09 of action, having scored four ponts on 2-of-6 shooting from the field and pulled down five rebounds. He exited after suffering what appeared to be a non-contact injury — never a good sign.

Murray had to be helped off the hardwood and into the locker room.

Dejounte Murray was helped to the locker room after suffering an apparent non-contact injury on this play 🙏 pic.twitter.com/4HVeiNwduI

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 1, 2025

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Boston eventually bested the Pelicans sans Murray, just barely, 118-116, off a Jayson Tatum turnaround elbow jumper (via Noa Dalzell of CLNS).

Jayson Tatum with the game-winner! pic.twitter.com/c7PjDcLyIL

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) February 1, 2025

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The 6-foot-5 pro has had something of a snakebitten run during his first season in New Orleans. He fractured his hand during the Pelicans' regular season opener, a 123-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Murray had a near triple-double in that Bulls bout, notching 14 points, 10 dimes and eight boards. The Pelicans flipped Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller, and a pair of future first round draft picks to the Atlanta Hawks in a trade for Murray this part summer.

Now, Daniels is looking like the best two-way player in that deal, with Murray's various health issues taking their toll on his former All-Defensive acumen.

That said, Murray had been enjoying a respectable-if-inefficient individual season with the Pelicans, who after this loss now sink to a brutal 12-37 record on the season. They were already far out of the Western Conference playoff picture, with or without a healthy Murray, at this point in the season.

The Washington product will finish this cursed Pelicans season with 17.9 points on .393/.299/.823 shooting splits, 7.6 assists, 6.5 rebounds,

This Celtics defeat is New Orleans' fifth straight. Boston, meanwhile, improves to a 34-15 record on the year, and puts a bit more distance between itself and the 32-16 New York Knicks.

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