The New Orleans Pelicans return from a six-game road swing to begin a stretch of 6-of-7 at home, starting with Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards.
Washington begins a four-game road trip with its visit to the Big Easy, trying to snap a seven-game losing skid following Thursday’s 122-112 home setback against Utah. The loss was noteworthy for marking Trae Young’s debut in the Wizards’ lineup.
Young, a four-time All-Star and 2021-22 All-NBA honoree, was traded to the Wizards in January for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum. In 19 minutes, Young finished with 12 points, six assists, and two steals against the Jazz but shot just 1-of-5 from 3-point range in his first action since December.
“(I was) anxious all day and not (able to get) much sleep,” Young said of making his first appearance with Washington. “I was really looking forward to the day and shaking off whatever rust I would have just from missing a few months of basketball.”
A knee injury sidelined Young for all but 10 games this season prior to Thursday and limited him to averages of 19.3 points and 8.9 assists per game when active at the time of the trade — both his lowest marks since his rookie season.
Along with Young’s debut, Washington heads into New Orleans with some positive momentum despite its skid, with rookie Julian Reese coming off a historic performance.
Playing in just his third NBA game, the brother of WNBA star Angel Reese grabbed 20 rebounds to join Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal as the only rookies to reach that milestone within their first five career outings.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 3-3 finish to their recent road swing, concluding with a 118-116 loss at Phoenix on Friday.
“Overall, it was a pretty good road trip; could have been better,” New Orleans coach James Borrego said. “Probably had two wins there we let slip from our fingertips. It’s a new group playing together, trying to find our way.”
Part of the Pelicans’ new look has been the integration of Dejounte Murray into the lineup for five of the last seven games. Murray has scored at least 13 points in each outing, including 17 points, nine assists, and four steals in a win over Utah on Feb. 26.
Murray joins a rotation that features Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson as its pillars.
Murphy scored 22 points in Friday’s loss. It was his fourth contest since returning from a five-game absence with a shoulder injury, and Murphy’s third consecutive outing with at least 21 points.
Murphy is on pace to finish 2025-26 with a career-high scoring average, currently posting a team-leading 21.9 points per game.
Just behind Murphy is Williamson, who is averaging 21.5 points per game after his 19-point effort at Phoenix. Williamson also grabbed 10 rebounds, his most since pulling down 11 in a Feb. 2 loss to Charlotte.
Although the Pelicans sit in 13th place in the Western Conference, 10.5 games behind Portland for the final play-in spot through Friday, they are above .500 since the All-Star break at 5-4.
