MIAMI (AP) — Trey Murphy III knew his mother was in downtown New Orleans to ring in the new year. His chef was there as well. And when Murphy heard about the tragedy that happened on Bourbon Street, he was scared for their safety.
The word eventually came: They were fine.
“You feel a little sigh of relief,” Murphy said. “But there were a lot of people that didn’t hear that sigh of relief today.”
Wednesday was a game day for Murphy and the New Orleans Pelicans. They played in Miami. They lost to the Heat, 119-108, and it’s not like it mattered much. Their minds, predictably, were in New Orleans — as they, like the rest of their city, began what will be a long process of mourning the deaths of at least 15 people, killed when an Army veteran driving a pickup truck bearing the flag of the Islamic State group slammed the vehicle into New Year’s Eve revelers in the city’s famed French Quarter.
“I’m devastated,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said.
Green got a text from his father early Wednesday. The first part wished him Happy New Year. The second offered prayers for New Orleans. That’s how he found out about the horror happening in his city.
New Orleans plays its home games about 1 mile southwest of the intersection of Bourbon Street and Canal Street, where the attack — which not only left the 15 dead but injured at least 30 others — occurred.
“A senseless act of violence,” Green said. “We’ve discussed it a bit with our players. But we’re just living in times and in a world where you just don’t know where you’re safe. Schools, churches, people should be able to go out and have a good time and walk the streets. It’s devastating. And I can only imagine what those families are going through, what they have to deal with now for the rest of their lives.”
The Pelicans are scheduled to play at home on Friday against Washington. The attack forced a one-day delay of the Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal. Originally set for Wednesday night, it was moved to Thursday afternoon.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the news out of New Orleans, when displayed on televisions in the team weight room on Wednesday, brought everyone “to an absolute halt.”
“It’s terrifying,” Spoelstra said. “It’s horrific. Until we all find out more details, you pray for all the families and everybody that’s experiencing loss. The unknown, also, is terrifying.”
The Heat held a pregame moment of silence Wednesday for the victims in New Orleans, adding that to one previously planned to commemorate the life of President Jimmy Carter — who died earlier this week.
On the Pelicans’ television broadcast, play-by-play announcer Joel Meyers and analyst Antonio Daniels both expressed their anguish over what happened in New Orleans.
“If you think about what Bourbon Street represents, it’s a place of joy. It’s a place of laughter. It’s a place of marriages, of bachelorette parties, bachelor parties, a place where people come together,” Daniels said. “And like Coach Green said, a senseless act of violence comes to try and tear this city apart? My heart hurts. My heart hurts for this city. It’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate that this is the dark world that we live in today.”
Murphy found a way to compartmentalize things for the game. He was brilliant, scoring 34 points. His team got down 17 early, then fought for most of the last 3 1/2 quarters in the loss.
It’s been a terrible year for the Pelicans, who have lost 29 of their last 32 games and are badly undermanned because of injuries. But Wednesday’s game seemed ancillary to Murphy.
“It is a true shame,” Murphy said. “People try to enjoy themselves and go into the new year with a different mindset and now there are a lot of families that have to deal with this tragedy. And I just have a lot of prayers and thoughts going out to those families, because it just doesn’t make sense. Stuff like that shouldn’t happen. You shouldn’t have to worry about going to Bourbon Street and enjoying yourself, then ending up having to lose a loved one.”
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