NEW ORLEANS -- Dejounte Murray tore his right Achilles tendon in the team's 118-116 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night, ending the Pelicans guard's season, according to a league source.
The injury happened while Murray, 28, was attempting to rebound his own missed shot with 3:51 left in the first quarter. Murray immediately hobbled over to the sideline and was assisted to the locker room by Pelicans trainers.
The nine-year veteran is out for the rest of the season, and with an injury of this magnitude, his status for the start of next season also comes into question.
The loss of Murray only adds one more devastating injury to a Pelicans season that's been flooded with them since the start of training camp in early October.
After coming into the season with hopes of another playoff berth, the Pelicans are off to an awful 12-37 start to the season partially due to just about every member of the team's primary rotation missing significant time due to injuries at different points in the year.
After acquiring Murray last summer in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, the Pelicans hoped to find some stability at the starting point guard position and potentially another All-Star running mate to pair with star forward Zion Williamson as Brandon Ingram's future with the team has come into question.
Instead, Murray sustained a fractured left hand in the fourth quarter of his Pelicans debut, which sidelined him for the next 17 games after he underwent surgery to repair the break. Since his return, Murray has started 30 of the team's last 31 games, and during certain stints, showed a budding chemistry with Williamson on both ends of the court.
Without Murray, the Pelicans face some critical questions ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline and beyond.