Perhaps the most unexpected individual stat line from Friday’s 10-game NBA slate occurred in New Orleans, where Pelicans rookie Trey Murphy III poured in 32 points, nearly tripling his previous career high of a dozen points. It wasn’t just that the 21-year-old erupted for a big scoring night. Unless you’re an NBA fan who pays close attention to the transaction wire, you may not have even realized Murphy was available to play against Charlotte.
“I was supposed to be in Birmingham right now,” Murphy said of the Pelicans’ G League affiliate. “A few things happened and I’m here.