Things have gone incredibly sour for the New Orleans Pelicans this season as they have lost nine straight and are now dealing with more frustrating, lingering injuries.
The Pelicans released their injury report ahead of Friday nights game against the Washington Wizards and it did not come with any good news, here how things stand for New Orleans:
Herb Jones (right ankle sprain) - Doubtful
Trey Murphy (low back spasms) - Questionable
Jose Alvarado (left oblique soreness) - Out
Saddiq Bey (right hip flexor strain) - Out
Hunter Dickinson (G-league two-way) - Out
Dejounte Murray (right Achilles rupture) - Out
There wasn't any real worry with Jones missing the last game, as it was a back-to-back after just returning from a seven-game absence. Now that he is doubtful for this game as well, it is starting to get scarier.
This Pelicans squad needs the defense of Jones; he holds it together like glue. This game would make 17 absences in the last 23 opportunities. New Orleans has lost 16 of those games and gave up 130 points in the lone win.
Just as important as Jones' defense is the offense that Trey Murphy brings. He's averaging 23.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals with 53.4/39.7/88.5 shooting splits since the start of December.
Murphy's back could now cost him three of the last five games, though, which would not be a great sign. This is not something that the team will want to see become a regular occurance.
Bey has also been a big loss, as this will be his fifth-straight absence. He had become a large part of the offense, averaging 17.6 points a night in December.
Alvarado is obviously an important part of this bench, so missing his impact is never fun.
The Wizards are in a much-better spot with their injuries, but will be missing a couple of pieces from the trade they just made. Here is what their report looks like:
Corey Kispert (trade pending) - Out
CJ McCollum (trade pending) - Out
Cam Whitmore (shoulder) - Out
Washington pulled off a trade with the Atlanta Hawks in the middle of Wednesday's Pelicans game against the Hawks. McCollum and Kispert are going to Washington in exchange for Trae Young, who might not play this season.
McCollum has been the team's leading scorer this year, but they have a ton of young talent that should be able to fill in the gaps.
The Wizards are a rebuilding squad, but are 5-5 in their last 10.