The New Orleans Pelicans extended their winning run to two matches in a row after their recent win against the San Antonio Spurs. Interestingly, their 121-106 home victory witnessed a ‘quiet’ night from their star player, Zion Williamson. Luckily, it put the limelight more on the comeback of his teammate, Trey Murphy III, on the court.
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After Zion’s heroics in their triumph against the Philadelphia 76ers in the mid-week, the expectations were high for the 23-year-old. The power forward took matters into his own hands on that occasion as he went 11/12 from the field to score 33 points in 33 minutes. His display captured the attention of the home crowd as they had hoped for it to repeat against the Texan organization.
The Spurs match followed a different storyline as the 2x All-Star struggled against a Victor Wembanyama-less roster. Despite Zion’s 12-7-4 night, the hosts never let the visitors control the momentum of the match, thanks to the endeavors of Trey. The 6ft 8″ star registered 18-3-1 in 22 minutes on his return from knee surgery, as he led his franchise to their eleventh win of the campaign.
Following the triumph, the youngster opened up about his relationship with Williamson, highlighting how they complement each other. “Our games aren’t very similar but it really works well together,” Murphy mentioned in the post-match conference. “Yin and yang type situation,” he indicated before declaring, “Pick whatever poison you want, you’re probably gonna lose anyway”.
“Our games arent very similar but it really works well together… Yin and yang type situation… Pick whatever poison you want, youre probably gonna lose either way”
— Trey Murphy on playing with Zion pic.twitter.com/0MycNGXcrj
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) December 2, 2023
Can Trey Murphy’s return turn the tide in favor of Zion Willamson and co.?
After a heavily scrutinized off-season, the Pelicans find themselves lingering at the 8th spot in the Western Conference. From this point onwards, the upcoming challenges would get even tougher for the franchise. After an away match against the Chicago Bulls, they would face the Sacramento Kings in the quarter-finals of the in-season tournament. That game in California could become a turning point in their season, anticipating the moral boost it may provide.
Thus, the return of Murphy has happened at a crucial phase for the entire squad. On top of that, his performance against the Spurs has proved his necessity in the sustained development of Zion. The team’s head coach, Willie Green, indicated the same, mentioning, “They have really good synergy,” in the post-match conference.
All in all, this comeback has injected fresh hope in the hearts of the supporters. With the obstacles about to get harder to overcome, the time to get going has finally and truly arrived.
