Suffice it to say, Dejounte Murray loved his first sport in a New Orleans Pelicans uniform way more than his long-awaited second.
Boos rained down from a big and initially vigorous crowd the day earlier than Thanksgiving as they watched the Toronto Raptors — a workforce and not using a win in 10 highway video games — take a 34-point lead within the second half.
“When you’re not embarrassed and actually indignant about it, that is an issue,” Murray mentioned after New Orleans’ 119-93 loss Wednesday night time, extending its dropping streak to 6 video games.
“It is not likely concerning the loss, it is about how we misplaced in entrance of our followers,” Murray continued. “Even the followers are booing — I imply, what would you do in case you had been a fan paying your cash? You wish to come watch a aggressive basketball sport, particularly considered one of your native workforce. So, they’ve each proper to say what they need, really feel what they really feel. They deserve a greater match.
The Pelicans have seemed cursed since Murray fractured his hand late in opening night time victory in opposition to Chicago on October 23. With Zion Williamson and different starters nonetheless within the lineup, they managed to get off to a 2-0 begin.
Since then, accidents have plagued the highest eight gamers within the Pelicans’ rotation and New Orleans has misplaced 15 of 17 to fall to 4-15 total within the extremely aggressive Western Convention.
Accidents to Murray, Williamson (left hamstring), Brandon Ingram (proper calf), CJ McCollum (proper adductor), Herb Jones (proper shoulder), Trey Murphy III (left knee bruise), Jose Alvarado (left hamstring) ) and Jordan Hawkins (again) wreaked havoc.
Murray missed 17 video games earlier than his return to the line-up on Wednesdayone sport after McCollum returned from a 13-game absence. Williamson, Ingram, Murphy, Jones and Alvarado all remained out of the lineup.
“When you might have guys in, guys out, guys in, guys out, it’s actually robust,” Murray mentioned. “However I feel it’s not troublesome to compete.
“You may’t be punk. You may’t let your self get pushed round,” Murray added. “Tonight was simply disgusting. We’ve to be aggressive. We’ve to play tougher regardless of who’s on the ground.”
Unsurprisingly, Murray was rusty, lacking his first seven photographs earlier than ending with 14 factors. McCollum scored 19 factors. But it surely wasn’t sufficient to make up for what coach Willie Inexperienced and McCollum advised was a mushy protection in opposition to Toronto.
The Raptors arrived in New Orleans final within the NBA with 3 factors scored per sport at 10.4. They made a game-high 21 in opposition to the Pelicans.
“Both they received higher in a single day or we have to do a greater job of closing out and making issues tougher,” McCollum mentioned.
“It was a horrible sight,” he added. “From prime to backside, all of us have to be higher.”
Inexperienced, the Pelicans’ fourth-year coach, lamented what he referred to as “an absence of competitors.”
“We allowed a workforce to come back on our discipline and actually make us look mushy,” Inexperienced mentioned. “That’s what I informed our group. This will’t occur.
The Pelicans have 63 video games left to attempt to get again into rivalry for a minimum of a play-in spot. Their efficiency in Memphis on Friday night time will present how critical they’re about turning issues round.
The gamers had a sport off Thursday to spend the vacations with household earlier than taking a brief flight to Memphis Thursday night.
“As quickly as we get on that airplane, we have now to know what simply occurred,” Murray mentioned. “You don’t need unhealthy habits to proceed.”
Though McCollum famous that accidents have made it “troublesome to determine rhythms and rotations,” he described the most recent loss as “only a unhealthy sport that we will not have.”
“Time is of the essence,” McCollum continued. “And it doesn’t get any simpler.”
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