Pelicans Injury Report vs. Rockets: Will Trey Murphy Play?

The New Orleans Pelicans host the Houston Rockets on Sunday with the hopes of ending their four-game losing streak. Just when things were looking up for the Pels, they dropped four games in a row to Eastern Conference playoff teams, pushing them to 25-50 for the season. With only seven games left in the regular season, the best the Pelicans can hope for is to play some competitive basketball and build momentum ahead of the offseason. Beating a solid playoff team at Smoothie King Center on Sunday would be a good start to give fans some hope for the future.

Unfortunately, the Pelicans may be short-handed in their attempt to do so. In addition to the extended absence of Bryce McGowens, who is dealing with a toe fracture, the Pelicans have Trey Murphy and Dejounte Murray on the injury report. Both starters are listed as questionable and will be game-time decisions.

Trey Murphy & Dejounte Murray Both Game-Time Decisions vs. Rockets

Murray missed Friday's game against the Raptors. This was the second night of a back-to-back, and his absence was understandable as he had not been cleared to play both legs of back-to-backs. Many were expecting the 29-year-old guard to return to action on Sunday, but he popped up on the injury report with a left hand contusion. Murray had fractured the same hand in last year's season opener, keeping him out for over a month. Considering he is already questionable to play, the hope is that it's not going to keep him out for too long.

For Murphy, the questionable designation is a good sign. The sharpshooting forward missed the Pels' last two games with an ankle sprain. Ahead of Friday's game, Murphy was ruled out a day in advance, so the fact that he has already been upgraded to questionable suggests that he is trending in the right direction.

The Pelicans struggled immensely in Murphy's absence. They couldn't get enough threes up, and the offense looked stagnant and predictable. New Orleans desperately needs its best shooter to give it a boost on that end of the floor.

The Rockets, on the other hand, are at full strength besides Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, who have already been ruled out for the season. Houston is in the midst of an intense playoff race. At 44-29, they are currently in sixth place in the Western Conference. With first-round home-court advantage still in play, the Rockets will be very motivated to win in New Orleans on Sunday.