Pelicans vs. Jazz Injury Report: Are Trey Murphy & Lauri Markkanen Playing?

The vibes surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans are better than they have been all season. After Dejounte Murray's season debut on Tuesday, which helped the Pelicans win their second straight game, the Pelicans are hoping to build some momentum in the final stretch of the season. They are likely too far behind in the standings to make any real noise, but the organization desperately needs to end the season on a high note.

Fortunately for the Pelicans, they are playing the Utah Jazz on a back-to-back. Utah has no incentive to win any games until the end of the season, as they are trying to lower their record to increase their chances of holding on to their top-eight protected pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Pelicans Have a Major Injury Advantage vs. Jazz on Thursday

With that in mind, the Jazz have been very cautious with injuries. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic have already been ruled out for the season. Walker Kessler has been out since early in the season, and Vince Williams Jr. just suffered a devastating ACL injury earlier this week. In addition, the Jazz have Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George listed as questionable on their injury report ahead of Tuesday.

George has only appeared in one game in February, when he played for 13 minutes against the Magic on February 7. Markkanen has been similarly in and out of the lineup. Even when they suit up, head coach Will Hardy has been limiting their minutes and sitting them in the fourth quarter.

As a result, the NBA fined the Jazz $500k for conduct detrimental to the league. The league is also reportedly sending independent doctors to Markkanen's MRI on Thursday to verify the extent of his listed ankle and hip injuries, per The Athletic's Tony Jones. So, how aggressively the Jazz will keep their starters out will likely be a game-time decision.

For the Pelicans, Trey Murphy remains out with a shoulder injury. He has yet to play since the All-Star break, and the fact that he is getting ruled out 24 hours in advance suggests that he is not particularly close to returning. Yves Missi is also out for the Pelicans with a calf strain.

The good news is that Dejounte Murray has seemingly not suffered any setbacks and is in line to start on Thursday. The Pelicans will likely keep the same starting lineup with Murray at point guard and DeAndre Jordan at center. Micah Peavy is now off the injury report, so how his return will impact Jordan Poole and Bryce McGowens will be a storyline to watch.