New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray is expected to return from a broken hand on Wednesday night to play against the Toronto Raptors, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Monday.
Murray injured his left hand during the opening game of the season and was originally expected to be out for four to six weeks after having surgery in late October.
The injury happened during the Pelicans’ 123-111 win over the Chicago Bulls on October 23. With 2:21 left in the fourth quarter and New Orleans leading by 12, Murray attempted a 3-pointer, was fouled by Zach LaVine, and fell to the floor. He felt some pain but was helped up and went to the free-throw line, making two out of three attempts before leaving the game.
Murray, 28, had a career-best season last year with the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 78 starts. Over his 473 career games (402 starts) with the San Antonio Spurs, Hawks, and Pelicans, he has averaged 15.4 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.8 rebounds.
The Pelicans acquired Murray from Atlanta in a trade back in July. In return, the Hawks received Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller, and two first-round draft picks.
Murray was selected by the Spurs in the first round (29th overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft from the University of Washington and made the All-Star team in the 2021-22 season.
