The Pelicans dominated the Raptors in a 41-point win on Tuesday night without any of their starters scoring more than 17 points. That's because forward Trey Murphy III decided to take over the game.
The third-year pro scored a season-high 34 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including 10-of-14 from three.
Per ESPN's Andrew Lopez, he became just the seventh player in NBA history with two games with at least 10 threes, first doing so on March 25, 2023, against the Clippers.
Trey Murphy became the 7th player in NBA history to have 2+ games with at least 10 3-pointers made.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) March 6, 2024
He joins Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, J.R. Smith, James Harden and Zach LaVine.
Murphy is also the 7th player in NBA history to have 10 3s in a game off the bench.
Pelicans PR also noted via social media that Murphy became the first player in franchise history to have three games with nine or more makes from beyond the arc.
Trey Murphy III becomes the first player in franchise history with three games of 9+ threes made.
— Pelicans PR (@PelicansPR) March 6, 2024
Murphy III is also the only player in franchise history with multiple games of 10+ threes.
TSN Sports' Keerthika Uthayakuma shared that the 10 made threes are also the most for a single player against the Raptors in franchise history.
Raptors lose by 41 points, their 5th largest margin of defeat in franchise history.
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) March 6, 2024
They allowed 24 threes, the most they've allowed in any game in franchise history.
Trey Murphy made 10 threes, the most any player has made in a game against the Raptors.
New Orleans (37-25, fifth in Western Conference) has won its last two games by a combined 68 points, and it's no coincidence that its back-to-back blowouts have coincided with Murphy rediscovering his touch.
During a five-game stretch from Feb. 12-25, Murphy shot 25% from deep, but in his last four games, he's 53.3% from three-point range.
The Pelicans are fifth this season in three-point percentage (37.9%), so it isn't as though they're relying solely on Murphy for outside scoring. But when he's aggressive and making his shots, the Pelicans are extremely tough to beat.
Per "The Bird Writes," New Orleans has won nearly 75% of its games the past two seasons when Murphy attempts at least 12 field goals.
Over the last two seasons the Pelicans are 28-10 (.736) when Trey Murphy III has at least 12 FGA.
— The Bird Writes (@thebirdwrites) March 6, 2024
2023-24: 11-3
2022-23: 17-7
They are 34-44 (.435) in games he has fewer than 12 FGA.
He provides valuable spacing for Brandon Ingram to operate from midrange and Zion Williamson to attack the paint, giving both a kick-out option to prevent defenses from collapsing on them.
With only 20 games remaining in the regular season, Murphy's hitting his stride at the perfect time.
That will bode well for New Orleans as, in Murphy's own words, it pushes "to be in the playoffs and not the play-in." The Pelicans haven't finished in the top six in the Western Conference since 2018, when they reached the conference semifinals after a first-round sweep of the Trail Blazers.
For the past two seasons, they've reached the play-in tournament, making the playoffs in 2021-22 but losing to the Thunder in the No. 9-No. 10 game last year.
New Orleans has a higher ceiling than that. When Murphy's shot drops, it opens up many things for the Pelicans' offense. It also makes them a team others should want to avoid.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!