NBA: Murphy and Murray Spoil Brandon Ingram’s Return, Give Pelicans the Win

Sometimes a night set up to celebrate a comeback goes sideways. In New Orleans the crowd wanted to see Brandon Ingram back under the lights at the Smoothie King Center. He answered the call, sure — but it was Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray who ran the show.

Fueled by their scorching duo, the Pelicans beat the Toronto Raptors 122-111 and keep rolling. It was a patient, efficient win with a few electric offensive bursts.

Murphy lights it up from deep

Trey Murphy III was the main spark. The wing put together a clean, efficient night — 28 points and lethal accuracy.

He finished 8-for-12 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from three. Every time Toronto sniffed a comeback, Murphy found the shot to quiet the building and keep New Orleans in control.

Trey Murphy III 28 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL, 8/12 FG, 5/8 3FG, 90.2% TS vs Raptors https://t.co/tRDqDKWmsW pic.twitter.com/u3nTxRvqvu

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) March 12, 2026

His long-range dagger with just over two minutes left basically sealed it. At that point the gap was too wide for the Raptors to bridge.

Dejounte Murray finds his rhythm

Beside him, Dejounte Murray made his mark. The guard scored 27 points — his best output since returning from a long Achilles layoff.

Dejounte Murray 27 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 12/20 FG, 2/6 3FG, 64.7% TS vs Raptors

1 of the nastiest ankle breakers you will see 😭 https://t.co/bJrsAOMhyv pic.twitter.com/NRuN7VROJN

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) March 12, 2026

Murray controlled the pace with quiet confidence, mixing drives and outside shots to unsettle the Canadian defence.

This game showed he’s slowly getting his legs back after more than a year off the floor.

Brandon Ingram’s emotional return

For Brandon Ingram the night carried weight. The former Pelicans face was playing in New Orleans for the first time since being traded to Toronto last year.

The arena rolled a tribute video to salute his six seasons wearing the Pelicans jersey. On the court, Ingram didn’t hide — he scored 22 points and hit a new milestone.

With that outing he passed the 11,000-point mark in his NBA career.

New Orleans grabs control in the second half

The game stayed tight for a long stretch. The Pelicans led just 60-58 at the break. But they flipped the script after halftime.

Fueled by outside shooting and cleaner team execution, New Orleans ripped open an 18-point lead in the third quarter.

Toronto fought back in the fourth, getting as close as two possessions. But a quick 8-0 run from the Pelicans snuffed out the comeback attempt.

Two different trajectories

This win cements New Orleans’ good form — seven wins in their last ten. The Louisiana team looks like it’s hitting its stride at the right moment.

Toronto, meanwhile, are in a rough patch. The Raptors dropped another game and slipped to seventh in the Eastern Conference.

The season’s long, but one thing’s obvious in New Orleans: when Trey Murphy and Dejounte Murray play like this, the Pelicans are a nightmare to stop.

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