Man Down, Man Down; Struggling Pelicans Lose Murray to Torn Achilles

The New Orleans Pelicans season has not gone too great so far. Sitting in 14th place in the Western Conference, their off-season additions didn’t complete their rebuild like they may have thought. However, when many people say there can only be up-hill from here, that may not be true. Dejounte Murray tore his Achilles tendon during last night’s game against the Celtics. The injury will keep him side-lined for the remainder of the season. Murray came around a screen, and drove on Tatum. He stopped short and pulled up a floater, which missed off of front rim. Murray tried to chase his own board, but it looked like he landed funny, and didn’t secure the ball. Collapsing to the floor, the Celtics took the ball and ran, but the Pelicans stole the ball in transition, and Trey Murphy III made an up-and-under lay-up as Murray got up and limped over to the sideline. An official time-out was called, and Dejounte didn’t return for the remainder of the game. "Extremely difficult, when you see a guy that means so much to our team and puts the work in go down like that," said the Pelicans' head coach, Willie Green, in a post-game press conference. Murray isn’t the only injury on the team. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are out with serious injuries. "It hurt a lot, l can't lie to you," said Trey Murphy III, who was one point away from tying his career high with 40 in the loss. "He's been through a lot already, and it doesn't help. But a lot of times God puts you through situations in order to give you a bigger message. I think that's what's happening right now. It's not always easy to understand what he's saying, but there's always a reason." While the season looks lost, the Pelicans will hope to improve their roster over the off-season.