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

The New Orleans Pelicans won three straight games to improve to 18-42 for the season. They still have a long way to go before they can start feeling better about the 2025-26 campaign, but things are certainly looking up. Dejounte Murray's return to action has given them a boost and the Pelicans hope that the positive vibes surrounding the team will help lead them to a respectable finish.

On Saturday, the Pels have an excellent opportunity to continue their positive momentum as they take on the short-handed, tanking Utah Jazz. Coming off a 129-118 victory in Utah on Thursday, the Pelicans hope to make it two in a row against the Jazz to overtake them for the 13th seed in the Western Conference.

Pelicans' Dejounte Murray & Trey Murphy Out on Saturday vs. Jazz

Unfortunately, however, they will have to do so without Murray. The Pelicans play again on Sunday, traveling to LA to take on the Clippers. Murray is not ready to play both legs of a back-to-back, so he is listed as out with "return to competition reconditioning" on the injury report. This shouldn't be concerning to Pelicans fans, as this is standard for any player returning from a long-term injury. Murray should be expected to suit up and play his usual workload at Intuit Dome on Sunday.

In addition to Murray, the Pelicans will also be without Trey Murphy III, who has been out since the All-Star break with a shoulder contusion. This will be the fifth straight missed game for the sharpshooter, but the team hasn't provided a firm timetable for his return. The fact that he hasn't been upgraded to doubtful and is getting ruled out 24 hours ahead of time suggests that he is unlikely to play against the Clippers, either.

Yves Missi, on the other hand, was upgraded to questionable. He has been dealing with a calf strain and hasn't played since the All-Star break. Whether he will start upon his return or if DeAndre Jordan continues to start at center after Derik Queen's benching will be a fascinating storyline to watch.

As usual, the Jazz are dealing with a long injury list. Vince Williams Jr., Jusuf Nurkic, Walker Kessler, and Jaren Jackson Jr. have already been ruled out for the season. Lauri Markkanen is also listed as out with a hip injury, and Keyonte George is questionable with an ankle sprain for Saturday. Considering the little incentive the Jazz have to win games between now and the end of the season, it's safe to assume that even if George were to suit up, he will be on limited minutes and workload.

This should give the Peicans a major advantage even without two key offensive creators in Murray and Murphy. As the side with more motivation to win, the Pelicans should be considered the favorites in Utah on Saturday.