Murray contributes 13 points in comeback from Achilles injury as Pelicans secure victory.
NEW ORLEANS — Dejounte Murray executed a slashing layup less than 20 seconds into his first game in almost 13 months.
He concluded his 13-point outing with another driving layup off the backboard, extending the New Orleans Pelicans’ lead to five points with 1:04 remaining in a 113-109 win against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
“I’ve been through a lot,” Murray stated. “I keep my chest out, chin up, smiling. And I’m just ready to see where it goes from here.”
Murray’s playing time was restricted to 25 minutes in his return from a ruptured right Achilles tendon, but Pelicans coach James Borrego ensured that some of those minutes were reserved for the closing moments, or, in this instance, the decisive moments.
“He looked like his old self. He didn’t miss a beat,” Borrego remarked. “For that to be his first game, I felt him on both ends of the floor. … He was fantastic. Really proud of him and just happy for him to embrace this moment.”
Murray contributed three assists, secured a couple of rebounds, and recorded a steal, but he also had five turnovers.
Zion Williamson, who led the team with 26 points, highlighted Murray’s communication and leadership on the court.
“He has a way of just keeping everybody engaged, even when you get frustrated,” Williamson noted.
As the game concluded, Murray’s daughter ran onto the court to embrace her father. Upon reaching the locker room, “his teammates just shouted him out,” Borrego mentioned.
The coach characterized it as “a massive celebration in there for him — the journey he’s been on, the year he had.”
Murray expressed that his teammates’ celebration of him “was great, but I’m ready for the next game.”
The Pelicans have 23 games remaining this season. Murray left little doubt regarding the role he anticipates playing in all of them.
“I’m hungry,” Murray declared. “I’m starving.”
