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CJ McCollum and Herb Jones on Pelicans long injury list | Pelicans
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CJ McCollum and Herb Jones on Pelicans long injury list | Pelicans

When the New Orleans Pelicans last played at the Smoothie King Center on Oct. 23, they started Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum together at the guard spots.

In Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers — the first of four straight New Orleans will play at home — neither Murray nor McCollum will be able to perform. Murray broke his left hand in the Pelicans’ first game of the season, and McCollum aggravated his hip in Tuesday’s game against Golden State.

The Pelicans’ injury report is extremely long for a team that has played just five regular season games.

Murray (left hand fracture), McCollum (right adductor soreness), Herb Jones (right shoulder strain) and Trey Murphy (right hamstring strain) have been ruled out.

In addition, Jordan Hawkins (lower back cramps), Yves Missi (right abdominal bruise) and Daniel Theis (left ankle pain) are listed as questionable.

If Theis is unable to play, it means four of the five players in the Pelicans’ starting lineup will be unavailable for the second home game of the season. Forward Brandon Ingram is the only player from that group not listed on Thursday’s injury report.

The Pelicans (2-3) will rely heavily on Ingram and fellow All-Star forward Zion Williamson to end their three-game losing streak against the Pacers (2-3). That duo combined to score just 26 points in Wednesday’s 104-89 loss to Golden State.

Jones was injured Tuesday when Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski landed on his right arm while they were looking for a loose ball. Jones and McCollum are expected to have medical imaging Friday.

Murphy is at least a week away from returning from the hamstring injury he suffered during training camp.

The Pelicans have struggled offensively without many key contributors early on. They scored 89 points in their defeat on Wednesday. They are averaging 105.8 points per 100 possessions through five games, the fourth-worst mark in the NBA.