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Dejounte Murray's Final Injury Status for Pelicans vs Raptors

Dejounte Murray's injury status has been revealed for the Pelicans vs Raptors game

Terry Kimble

Oct 23, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) during warmups before the game against the Chicago Bulls at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Oct 23, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) during warmups before the game against the Chicago Bulls at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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New Orleans Pelicans star guard Dejounte Murray officially returns to the court on Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors. The former all-star guard missed the last 17 games with a fractured right hand, which he suffered during the team's season opener. After having surgery on his hand, Murray spent time away from the team to deal with a personal matter.

Now Murray is back and ready to help the Pelicans dig out their early season 4-14 record. Lack of health has been the biggest reason for the team's decline this year. Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Murray, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Hawkins, and Brandon Ingram have all missed time this season.

McCollum, Murphy III, and Hawkins have returned to the court, and the Pelicans hope Murray can boost the team's anemic offense. New Orleans ranks last in the NBA in points scored and struggles to initiate their offense consistently. Murray gave the Pelicans a glimpse of his capabilities in the season opener, where he nearly notched a triple-double with 14 points, ten assists, and eight rebounds.

The former All-NBA defender can also help the Pelicans on the defensive end. Coming into this season, he and Herb Jones were the No. 1 and No. 2 defensive players in steals since 2022, respectively. Murray applying ball pressure on opposing offenses should improve the Pelicans' defense and enable them to force turnovers, leading to easy buckets.

Head coach Willie Green says Murray will likely be on a minutes restriction when he returns on Wednesday, but his presence should be felt immediately. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. CST.

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Terry Kimble
TERRY KIMBLE

Pelicans Scoop Writer

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