Trey Murphy III gave the Pelicans something to lean on Saturday, and it wasn’t just the box score. In New Orleans’ 141-135 overtime loss to the Nuggets, Murphy put together a night that looked a lot more like the player the Pelicans need - and, just as important, the ball actually found him there.
Murphy scored 26 points with six rebounds and four assists, finishing 10 of 17 from the floor and 4 of 8 from 3-point range. That was more than he produced in the Pelicans’ first two games combined, after he had totaled 11 points against Indiana and nine against Utah.
The bigger story was how he got there. New Orleans created far more chances for Murphy to do the things he does best, and the results followed.
He had four catch-and-shoot makes on seven tries against Denver, all of them from deep, after making just two of four catch-and-shoot chances across the first two games. That jump alone accounted for 12 points, compared with three in each of the first two outings.
Murphy also worked efficiently inside the arc. He went 6 of 9 on two-point attempts and added two free throws, after attempting only one free throw in the opening two games. While the Pelicans struggled around him - the rest of the team shot 7-for-30 from three - Murphy kept giving them offense.
The touches told the same story. He logged 71 against Denver after getting 37 against Indiana and 40 against Utah.
His 44 frontcourt touches doubled his average from the first two games. He played about 37 minutes against Denver, up from roughly 31.5 per game to start the season, but the rise in involvement went beyond extra floor time.
His touches were up by about 84%, and he averaged fewer dribbles per touch, at 1.07 against Denver compared with 1.81 against Indiana and 1.98 against Utah.
The Utah game is the clearest contrast. Murphy had the ball for more total time against the Jazz, yet he touched it far less often and finished with nine points. Against Denver, the Pelicans made a point of getting him the ball more frequently, and that changed the shape of his night.
He matched his Utah total with five drives, and his pull-up shooting produced two points in each game. The difference was the volume of catch-and-shoot chances, and Denver handed him more of them.
The ball movement around him was better, too. Dejounte Murray delivered 15 passes to Murphy after posting five against Indiana and nine against Utah.
Jordan Poole sent seven his way after having none in the opener and one against the Jazz. Murphy knocked down two threes off Poole passes, and one each off passes from Murray and Jeremiah Fears.
Six teammates assisted his baskets, and he finished with eight assisted field goals after having three in each of the first two games.
Last season, Murphy hit 42.9% of his catch-and-shoot threes while averaging 5.1 attempts per game. Through the first two games this season, he had been getting fewer than half that many chances per night. Denver showed what can happen when that changes.
There are still plenty of things for New Orleans to clean up. Murphy turned it over four times, and one strong game doesn’t mean the Pelicans have solved anything. But this was a useful sign for a team still chasing its first win: when Murphy gets the opportunities, he can do real damage.
In Other News...
Jokis Postgame Frustration Put Nuggets Fans On Edge After Comeback Win
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Nikola Joki did little to cool that edge afterward, making clear he noticed the reaction and was bothered by it. With his future beyond this season still not fully settled, the Nuggets star has said he wants to stay, but nights like this only sharpen the scrutiny around how Denvers top player feels about the environment around him. [Read more 🡒]
Former Pelicans Defensive Spark Gets A New Chance Worth Watching
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Peavy spent last season in New Orleans, where he got into 61 games and showed the kind of defensive energy that can keep a young player in the mix. For the Pelicans, it is another reminder of how quickly those back-end roster pieces can move, especially when a player who had already flashed in New Orleans gets an opportunity elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Keep Crumbling Late And The Biggest Reason Is Growing Clear
The early-season scorecard has been ugly for New Orleans, and the concern goes well beyond an 0-3 start. What has stood out most is how much the Pelicans have leaked in the final five minutes of close games, where their numbers have fallen apart and the group has yet to find a reliable way to close things out. For a team built around trying to stay competitive deep into games, those late stretches are turning into a recurring problem instead of a small sample blip.
Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray have been the focal points in those moments, and the results have not matched the burden they are carrying. New coach Jamahl Mosley has said he is looking at the season in five-game batches before making any major decisions, which gives the Pelicans a little runway to sort out what is going wrong. Still, the longer the clutch struggles linger, the harder it gets to ignore how sharply the final minutes have tilted against them. [Read more 🡒]