Pelicans Injury Report vs. Kings: Will Dejounte Murray Play?

After six straight losses that pushed them to 25-52, the New Orleans Pelicans are headed towards finishing the season on a sour note. Just when it seemed like they were building some momentum ahead of next season, the Pelicans went back to their early-season form by losing their last four games by a combined 78 points.

At this point, there isn't much to play for for the Pelicans, but they would still love to give their fans some hope before next season. James Borrego would especially love to stack up a few wins in the final five games of the season to make a strong argument to earn the permanent head coaching gig.

Fortunately, they are facing the worst team in the Western Conference on Friday. The 20-57 Sacramento Kings have already pulled the plug on their season and are only interested in maximizing their lottery odds. This should give the Pelicans an excellent opportunity to end their losing streak.

As it is to be expected from every tanking team at this point, the Kings have an extensive injury list. They will be without multiple key contributors, including Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Russell Westbrook, De'Andre Hunter, and Malik Monk. The Kings will rely on players lower on the totem pole and on two-way contracts against the Pelicans.

Dejounte Murray Out vs. Kings on Friday

The Pelicans are healthier than the Kings, but still have their own injury concerns. Bryce McGowens continues to be out with a toe fracture. More importantly, Dejounte Murray will miss Friday's game for injury management reasons. The veteran guard has yet to play on both nights of back-to-backs as he is continuing his ramp-up process after missing 13 months with a ruptured Achilles. Since Murray played 28 minutes in Portland last night, his absence in Sacramento was to be expected.

Trey Murphy is also on the injury report with a probable designation. The sharpshooting forward is still dealing with an ankle sprain, but was able to play 36 minutes last night after missing the previous three games. The fact that he is likely to play again on Friday suggests that he didn't suffer any setbacks against the Trail Blazers.

New Orleans also has Karlo Matkovic on the injury list. The backup power forward is questionable with back spasms and is at risk of missing his second straight game.

Without Murray, the Pelicans will likely start Yves Missi. We could also see Jordan Poole back in the rotation and Micah Peavy getting extended minutes. Regardless of the minutes distribution and the rotation, the Pelicans have no excuses against the Kings who have gone 8-27 in their last 35 games of the season.