Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray has been ruled out of Saturday's game against the Hawks for personal reasons, one day after he was cleared from an earlier personal absence. New Orleans, 1-4 and coming off a win, will play without its lead guard as well as Jordan Poole and Yves Missi.
What happened
Dejounte Murray will not play Saturday against the Hawks. The official injury report listed him as out at 5:42 p.m. ET Saturday for personal reasons. Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site reported that Murray won't play in Saturday's game against Atlanta. This is his second personal absence this week. He was listed out for personal reasons Thursday, moved to day-to-day later that day and was cleared Friday. Earlier in October he was day-to-day with a right toe issue from Oct. 8 until he was cleared Oct. 19. No further detail on the personal matter has been announced.
What it means for the Pelicans
New Orleans hosts Atlanta at 7 p.m. ET Saturday. The Pelicans are 1-4 and the 12th seed, and they won their last game. Murray is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 32.3 minutes through four games. New Orleans is 0-4 with him and 1-0 without him. Jeremiah Fears, at 24.2 minutes and 11.6 points, is the guard in line for more of the ball. Trey Murphy III (32.4 minutes, 14.2 points) and Herbert Jones (20.4 minutes, 6.0 points) are the other wings who can take on more minutes. Zion Williamson leads the group at 21.8 points. The roster is thin. Jordan Poole (left ankle) and Yves Missi (left knee) are also out.
What to watch
Murray is already ruled out for Saturday, so the next report matters most for Poole and Missi, who are both out with leg injuries. The injury report lists Nov. 2 as Murray's expected return. The team has not announced anything more about his absence. Murray has gone from out to cleared and back to out in three days, so check his status on each report until he is back. For Saturday, watch how Fears and Murphy handle the ball.
Is Dejounte Murray playing vs Hawks on Sat, Oct 31?
No. The official injury report lists him as out for personal reasons for Saturday's 7 p.m. ET game against the Hawks.
When will Dejounte Murray be back?
The injury report lists Nov. 2 as his expected return. The team has not given any other timeline, and no details about the personal matter have been announced.