Trey Murphy III's Career Night Nets Pelicans A Much-Needed Win

Murphy scored a career-high 41 points in the Pelicans' victory.

Terry Kimble | Mar 12, 2023

Trey Murphy III's Career Night Nets Pelicans A Much-Needed Win /

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New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans, La- What a difference a day makes for the New Orleans Pelicans. A night removed from a lackluster performance against the Thunder, New Orleans had an offensive explosion Sunday night. They defeated the Portland TrailBlazers 127-110, but more importantly, stayed afloat in the Western Conference standings.

Brandon Ingram sat out his second consecutive game with an ankle injury, but it did not stop the Pelicans offensively. New Orleans jumped to a 42-25 lead after the first quarter. Trey Murphy's 15 and CJ McCollum's 11 points propelled the Pelicans early, and those two outscored the Blazers themselves in the first quarter. New Orleans hit a season-high seven 3-pointers in the opening frame and dished out 11 assists.

It was more of the same in the second quarter. Murphy scored another 10 points, and the ball movement continued. The halftime lead was 20, 74-54, which matched the number of assists the Pelicans recorded in the first half. Defensively, New Orleans locked in on the Blazers who played without All-Star guard Damian Lillard.

By the 3rd quarter, the Pelicans completely put the Blazers away thanks to Murphy's hot shooting from deep. Trey scored 14 points, including a stretch where he hit three straight shots from 3. The lead ballooned to 36 points, and by the time the 4th quarter rolled around, the Pelicans were emptying their bench.

Herb Jones — Mar 12, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and forward Herbert Jones (5) hold back Portland Trail Blazers guard Matisse Thybulle (4) on a free throw attempt during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans dominated nearly every offensive category in Sunday night's game. The Pelicans had their second-most assists of the season (35) and a season-high 19 made three-point shots. Murphy became the 4th Pelican player to score at least 40 points this season. He joined Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Zion Williamson.

The Pelicans had solid contributions from CJ McCollum, who scored 22 points and dished out 11 assists. Josh Richardson scored 19 points, and Herb Jones added 16. New Orleans had five players score in double-figures on the evening.

New Orleans got the all-important win improving their record to 33-35 on the season. That places them 11th in the Western Conference standings, but they are only two games out of the fifth spot. Every game moving forward is significant, with Tuesday evening's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers of massive importance. New Orleans will look to split the season series with L.A.

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Published Mar 12, 2023

TERRY KIMBLE

Pelicans Scoop Writer