The New Orleans Pelicans have been arguably the second-biggest disaster in the league this season, although nothing can touch the horror show in the City of Brotherly Love. New Orleans has been without all of its best players for most of the season and has spent much of 2024-25 in the West’s cellar.
However, the Pelicans are on a four-game winning streak and have leapfrogged the Utah Jazz for last place in the Western Conference. New Orleans is 12-32, while the Jazz are 10-32. With Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, and Zion Williamson still out of action, New Orleans has been relying on point guard Dejounte Murray, who’s averaging 17.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game this season.
Murray and the Pelicans will have a tough matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, but they are on the longest winning streak in the league, which should give them a sense of confidence. The game tips off at FedExForum at 8 p.m. ET.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, New Orleans (+425 Moneyline) is a significant underdog and the point total is set to 244.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around Murray.
Best Dejounte Murray Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Dejounte Murray 20+ Points (+105)
By rate statistics, the Grizzlies’ defense has been pretty good, which isn’t surprising given that they have former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. at power forward and two-time Big Ten All-Defensive honoree Zach Edey at center. Memphis has allowed a miniscule 109.8 points per 100 possessions, the sixth-best defensive rating in basketball. But because the Grizzlies play at the fastest rate in basketball, opponents have a chance to rack up points as well: this season, Memphis has allowed 115.0 points per game, the 10th-most in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Murray has topped the 20-point plateau five times in his last eight games after doing so just three times over his first 19 appearances this season. Part of it has to do with opportunity — four of those five 20-point games came with Williamson out, and three of them came after Jones suffered the labrum tear that will keep him out indefinitely. Murray’s usage should be high tonight with all three forwards sidelined, and he’s shot the ball respectably over that span — 42.4% from the field, 38.7% from deep — after recording ghastly 37-25-84 shooting splits in his first 19 games of the season.
Dejounte Murray 3+ Steals (+225)
The Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels is running away as the most impactful perimeter defender, with massive leads in both steals (3.1) and deflections (6.4) per game. However, Murray, with 2.3 steals and 3.7 deflections per game, isn’t far behind. He has recorded three or more steals 10 times in 27 games this season, including in the Pelicans’ most recent game, a 123-119 comeback victory over Utah on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are one of the more turnover-prone teams in basketball, allowing opponents to amass 9.3 steals per game, the ninth-most in the league. Morant alone averages the fourth-most turnovers per game in the league, coughing up the ball 3.9 times per contest, and Desmond Bane contributes 2.5 per game of his own. Morant is questionable tonight with an illness, but if he can’t play, backup point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. has a 17.4% turnover percentage so far this season — higher than Morant’s.
