Warriors Vs Pelicans: Murray’s Return and Golden State’s Struggles

The latest warriors vs pelicans meeting combined two storylines: Dejounte Murray’s comeback from a season-ending Achilles injury and a Golden State performance hampered by turnovers and absences. Murray, who had been more than a year away with injury, returned and scored 13 in his first game back as the Pelicans won, while the Warriors suffered a 113-109 defeat.

Warriors Vs Pelicans: Game snapshot

The Warriors fell 113-109 to the New Orleans Pelicans. Golden State’s tepid offensive performance in the first quarter — an 8-of-25 shooting stretch — set the tone they could not erase. The Dubs committed 21 turnovers across the contest and repeatedly failed to execute in transition; the performance left coach Steve Kerr blunt in his assessment.

Stat lines underscored the contrast. Moses Moody finished with 24 points and five rebounds. De’Anthony Melton exploded for 28 points in only 28 minutes. For New Orleans, Zion Williamson was unstoppable late, finishing with a team-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting.

Murray’s difficult year

Dejounte Murray returned after more than a year away due to injury and a gruelling rehab. He had been averaging a career high in points in Atlanta after receiving a hard-earned All-Star nod with San Antonio in 2022. In June 2024 the Atlanta Hawks traded him to New Orleans with hope he would help turn around the Pelicans franchise and form a trio alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Murray described that period as dark. "A dark cloud" hovered above him, he said, and "Everything, " Murray says, "was just dark. " He added, "A lot of people don’t know, " Murray says, "a lot of stuff in life went downhill. " The sequence began when his mother had a stroke a week before his first game of the 2024-25 season; he flew to see her in Seattle, where he grew up, and she could barely speak and was helpless in the hospital.

In the first game he broke his left hand, underwent surgery and missed 17 games. Then, in January 2025, he suffered a season-ending ruptured right Achilles tendon. "It was literally the worst three months of my professional career on and off the floor, " Murray says. "I was never able to focus on basketball. " Murray, who was drafted at the end of the first round by the Spurs in 2016 and traded to Atlanta in June 2022, said he had to be resilient and has worked through a year-long rehab on one of the toughest injuries in sports. He was probable to return Tuesday for the Pelicans’ game against the Golden S, and in his return he scored 13 as the Pelicans won.

Warriors’ offensive woes

Golden State’s struggles ran deeper than a single night. Kerr pointed to the full game as the issue: "I don’t know if ‘down the stretch’ is what got us. It was the full 48 minutes, " Kerr said. "21 turnovers. We did not execute very well offensively. Spacing was bad. Transition, we had three potential layups in the first half. We didn’t run, we didn’t cut to the rim, we didn’t get to the corners. We just looked disjointed. " Later he added, "The game was right there for us, just couldn’t execute well enough. With the injuries we have, we have to play well to win. And I don’t think we played well tonight. "

Injuries and absences have left Golden State without established on-ball creation. Stephen Curry is listed day-to-day with an inflamed runner’s knee. Jimmy Butler is out for the season. Kristaps Porzingis has a bad, undisclosed illness. The team lacks the usual "triggers" Kerr cited — Curry’s gravity or Butler drawing double teams in the post — and that vacuum contributed to droughts and poor ball movement. The roster still has players who can create: Melton can get penetration, and Moody can run around a screen off-ball — but the complementary pieces could not sustain production for 48 minutes.

Midgame tensions and injuries

Frustration was visible on the court. Midway through the third quarter a broadcast captured Quinten Post and Brandin Podziemski in a heated conversation while walking to the bench; Draymond Green stepped between the two to prevent escalation. Al Horford resting on the front end of a back-to-back did not help Golden State’s depth; the team will get him back versus the Memphis Grizzlies. Curry’s reevaluation won’t come until the end of the week, and the remainder of the outlook is unclear in the provided context.

Where the matchup leaves both sides

The warriors vs pelicans meeting underscored opposing narratives: New Orleans got a timely boost from Murray’s return and a strong late showing from Zion Williamson; Golden State must contend with turnovers, short stretches of inefficient offense and a handful of injuries and illnesses that have removed key playmaking options. The Pelicans left the Bayou with the win; the Warriors must reset amid a compact stretch of the schedule.

Illustration credit was noted to Demetrius Robinson and a photo credit to Stephen Lew in the material describing Murray’s comeback.

Closing: Dejounte Murray’s comeback and scoring 13 in his return was a human and competitive milestone for New Orleans, while Golden State’s 113-109 loss highlighted persistent offensive problems, turnover issues and health questions heading into the next games.