Warriors Vs Pelicans: Murray returns and New Orleans edges Golden State 113-109
Dejounte Murray’s long road back coincided with a tight warriors vs pelicans matchup as New Orleans beat the Golden State Warriors 113-109 on Tuesday, a game that featured Murray’s return and several big individual stat lines.
Warriors Vs Pelicans: Pelicans win 113-109
The Pelicans took control in the final moments to finish a 113-109 victory over Golden State on Tuesday. The Warriors rallied from an ugly first half, briefly led in the second half, then lost their rhythm down the stretch as New Orleans closed the game out in the final possessions.
Dejounte Murray’s year of setbacks
Dejounte Murray returned after more than a year away due to injury and a long rehab. He says he felt "heavy" and that "a dark cloud" hovered over him — "Everything was just dark. " It was June 2024 when the Atlanta Hawks traded him to New Orleans, and expectations were high for Murray to form a trio with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Murray had been averaging a career high in points in Atlanta after earning an All-Star nod with San Antonio in 2022, but his personal life and injuries derailed the start of his time in New Orleans.
His mother suffered a stroke a week before his first game of the 2024-25 season; Murray flew to see her in Seattle, where he grew up, and she could barely speak in the hospital. He broke his left hand in the first game, underwent surgery and missed 17 games, and then in January 2025 suffered a season-ending ruptured right Achilles tendon. He calls that stretch "literally the worst three months of my professional career on and off the floor" and says, "I was never able to focus on basketball. " Murray adds that he has faced obstacles since early childhood — "I've been going through obstacles since I was like 5 years old" — and after a year-long rehab with a severe injury he is finally ready to play. Murray is probable to return Tuesday for the Pelicans’ game against the Golden S — unclear in the provided context.
How Golden State fought back
The Warriors were missing key players on Tuesday, playing without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford. Golden State struggled to score in the first half but roared back in the second, briefly taking the lead before New Orleans regained control late. The matchup also carried an added wrinkle: the Warriors were facing "old friend Jordan Poole. "
Standouts and player grades
True-shooting percentage (TS) is noted in the game coverage as a scoring-efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws; the league average TS entering Tuesday’s games was 57. 9%.
Moses Moody delivered 24 points in 34 minutes with 5 rebounds and 3 assists, shooting 7-for-13 and 4-for-10 on threes, and 6-for-8 on free throws for a 72. 6% TS and a +13 plus/minus; he drew eight free-throw attempts and nearly fouled out, and earned a grade of A, with the post-game note that he posted the team's best plus/minus.
Gui Santos logged 39 minutes with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, shooting 6-for-13 and 1-for-4 on threes, 2-for-2 on free throws for a 54. 0% TS and a -7 plus/minus. The coverage praised his energy — leaping to keep possessions alive and saving balls from going out of bounds — while also noting six turnovers and five fouls; the writer called it a chaotic but more-helpful-than-harm performance given the depleted roster.
Draymond Green played 32 minutes and posted 11 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists with 2 blocks, shooting 5-for-11 for a 50. 0% TS and a +8 plus/minus. The coverage singled out his defense on Zion Williamson, who scored 26 points on 21 shots with five free throws, and highlighted Draymond's playmaking; he received a B+ and the post-game bonus of leading the team in assists.
De’Anthony Melton scored 28 points in 28 minutes with 4 rebounds and 3 assists, shooting 8-for-21, 3-for-10 on threes and 9-for-11 on free throws for a 54. 2% TS and a +9 plus/minus. The write-up noted moments when Melton was the only Warrior getting buckets and that he kept the team afloat early in the game; the commentary continues in the original coverage.
What comes next
The immediate schedule note in the coverage is that Murray was listed as probable to return Tuesday for the Pelicans’ game — the opponent name is truncated in the provided context, so it is unclear in the provided context whether that refers to Golden State or another team. The game itself produced the 113-109 final, and team recovery and rotation decisions will follow as New Orleans and Golden State move on from this Tuesday contest.
