Warriors Vs Pelicans: Murray’s Return Frames 113-109 Night, Moody and Melton Earn Grades

In the latest warriors vs pelicans matchup on Tuesday, the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Golden State Warriors 113-109 in a game that combined a high-profile return storyline with standout individual efforts. Dejounte Murray’s long absence and recovery threaded through the evening, while Moses Moody and De’Anthony Melton produced the most notable box-score performances for Golden State.

Warriors Vs Pelicans — scoreboard and context

The final was 113-109 in favor of New Orleans. The game felt unsettled early; an ugly first half left the Warriors struggling offensively before they roared back in the second half and briefly took the lead. Momentum shifted down the stretch, and the Pelicans controlled the final moments to secure the win. The matchup raised questions about which side, if any, should have been favored: the Warriors were missing several key names, and the Pelicans were described as a very bad team but were fairly healthy for the contest.

Dejounte Murray: injury, personal crisis and a return narrative

Dejounte Murray’s path to the roster was shaped by a series of personal and medical setbacks. After being traded to New Orleans in June 2024, expectations centered on him joining a fronting trio with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. He had been averaging a career high in points in Atlanta following an All-Star nod earned with San Antonio in 2022. But off-court and on-court blows compounded: his mother suffered a stroke a week before his first game of the 2024-25 season, prompting him to fly to Seattle, where she could barely speak and was helpless in the hospital. In the first game he broke his left hand, required surgery and missed 17 games. Then in January 2025 he suffered a season-ending ruptured right Achilles tendon. He described a prolonged period of darkness and inability to focus on basketball, calling it the worst three months of his professional career on and off the floor. Having grown up in a tough Seattle neighborhood and forced to take on adult responsibilities from a young age, Murray embarked on a year-long rehab journey for one of the toughest injuries in sports. He is described as finally ready to play after that rehab, and Murray is probable to return Tuesday for the Pelicans’ game against the Golden S — opponent unclear in the provided context.

Warriors absences and roster notes

Golden State played this game without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Al Horford. That depleted availability shaped rotations and contributed to an uneven first half and a chaotic late-game sequence. The matchup was also framed around familiar personal ties: the shorthanded Warriors matched up against an opponent that welcomed DeJounte Murray back after more than a year on the sidelines, and the contest included an appearance by an old friend, Jordan Poole.

Player grades and key stat lines from the Warriors

Grading was framed against expectations, with a “B” grade representing an average performance for the player. True-shooting percentage (TS) context was included: entering Tuesday’s games, league average TS was 57. 9%.

• Moses Moody — 34 minutes, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 7-for-13 shooting, 4-for-10 threes, 6-for-8 free throws, 72. 6% TS, +13. Moody stepped up, shot well and defended solidly while almost fouling out. He used the threat of his jumper to attack, took three shots inside the arc and drew eight free throws. Grade: A. Post-game bonus: best plus/minus on the team.
• Gui Santos — 39 minutes, 15 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 6 turnovers, 5 fouls, 6-for-13 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 54. 0% TS, -7. Santos provided relentless energy—leaping to keep possessions alive and producing five stocks—but that activity also produced six turnovers and five fouls. Overall it was a chaotic game from Gui, with more good than harm given the roster circumstances.
• Dray — 32 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5-for-11 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 50. 0% TS, +8. A solid defensive outing included strong work on Zion Williamson, who scored 26 points on 21 shots and five free throws, while Dray led the team in assists. Grade: B+. Post-game bonus: led the team in assists.
• De’Anthony Melton — 28 minutes, 28 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-21 shooting, 3-for-10 threes, 9-for-11 free throws, 54. 2% TS, +9. At points Melton was the only Warrior consistently getting buckets; when the offense stalled early he supplied scoring and continued to be able to — unclear in the provided context.

Image and visual credits in coverage

Illustration by Demetrius Robinson; photo by Stephen Lew. (Original outlet and image service names have been redacted in this summary. )

What this leaves unresolved

The night combined a clear box-score result with ongoing narrative uncertainty: Dejounte Murray’s full playing status and the truncated note about his probable Tuesday return reference an opponent listed as "Golden S" but leave that opponent unclear in the provided context. The game itself reinforced that, even with notable individual efforts from Moses Moody and De’Anthony Melton, the Warriors’ depleted availability altered the contest flow and left several storylines still developing.