Pelicans suffer massive injury blow on opening night

Former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray fractured his left hand in his Pelicans debut against the Bulls on Wednesday, per ESPN's Shams Charania. 

Murray will reportedly be sidelined "for an extended period of time" after an MRI confirmed a break in his hand. 

The news must be delibating to the Pelicans franchise, who opened the season with a convincing 123-111 victory over Chicago and looked primed to challenge for one of the top seeds in the West. Despite playing without Zion Williamson (illness) and Trey Murphy III (hamstring), New Orleans dominated on both ends of the floor, led by Brandon Ingram (33 points) and CJ McCollum (23 points) and key contributions from their deep bench.

Murray, the Pelicans' big offseason acquisition, either suffered or aggravated the hand injury during the dying moments of Wednesday's game. With a little over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, when the Pelicans were up 12, Murray was fouled by Zach LaVine when he attempted a three from the top of the key. 

Just as LaVine contested his shot, Murray tumbled to the floor and appeared to favor his hand while getting up. He refused assistance from a teammate and even made two of his three free throws. He stayed in the game for another minute, suggesting he wasn't hurt. It's likely felt the impact of the tumble only after the game, leading to an MRI.