The New Orleans Pelicans (17-42) rode a strong first quarter to a 113-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors (30-28) on Tuesday night at the Smoothie King Center in guard Dejounte Murray’s awaited return.
Murray was the Pels’ key addition during the summer of 2024, averaging 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game before his debut season was cut short on Jan. 31, 2025, due to a torn right Achilles tendon.
Fast forward to Feb. 24, 2026, and Murray has finally returned to the court, just over a year later.
The Warriors are currently dealing with injury issues of their own, with the top two scorers and perennial All-Stars, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, missing time. Curry is expected back at some point this season, while Butler was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign in January with a torn ACL.
New Orleans jumped out to a 31-19 lead after the first quarter of play and held a 46-39 advantage at the half.
Golden State took a brief lead over midway through the third quarter before the Pelicans went back in front, 77-72, at the end of the period.
The Pels held off the Warriors in the fourth for a four-point win, its second-straight on home court.
Zion Williamson starred with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block for New Orleans, as Murray made his presence felt in his return to the lineup, producing 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
Saddiq Bey (18 points), Jordan Poole (12 points) and Karlo Matkovic (10 points) rounded out the Pelicans scorers in double figures.
New Orleans (17-42) will hit the road to face the Utah Jazz (18-40) tonight at 8 p.m. The two teams will square off again on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. before the Pels conclude their weekend in Los Angeles against the Clippers (27-30) for an 8 p.m. contest.