Dejounte Murray missed the San Antonio Spurs' Sunday showdown with the Portland Trail Blazers due to an illness, and by the looks of it, he won't be returning any time soon.
On Twitter, Murray disclosed his real condition and admitted that he “randomly got sick.” The issue has been really serious as he already lost “7-8 pounds” and he's been “feeling awful” as of late. He did vow that he'll get back to work to get ready for the play-in when he recovers, which suggests he could be out for their remaining games in the regular season.
“I Randomly Got Sick And It Sucks It Happen At This Crucial Time While Me And The Team Are Rolling. I Lost 7-8 Pounds And Been Feeling Awful And Doing Everything To Get Healthy First Then Working Out To Get Ready To Help The Team Get In This Play In And Fight For The Playoffs,” Murray wrote on twitter alongside a praying emoji.
As Dejounte Murray himself said it, the timing of the illness couldn't have come at the worst possible time for him and the Spurs. They are in the middle of an incredible streak that has them vying for a play-in spot, having already moved up to the 10th seed in the West.
In the past week after their crucial win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Murray even boldly declared their desire to get into the play-in tournament after many thought they were out of the running. However, seven wins in their last 10 games have propelled them into contention.
The Spurs are two games ahead of the 11th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, and so they have complete control of their destiny. Two is the magic number for them to officially seal their play-in spot, and any loss for the Purple and Gold would put them in a good position to make it.
Unfortunately for San Antonio, they have a tough road ahead with their schedule filled with playoff teams. They face the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks, which all have something important to play for as well.
Both the Mavs and Warriors are fighting for a better seeding after already securing their postseason spots, while both the Nuggets and Timberwolves are looking for another W each to improve their chances of automatically qualifying for the playoffs instead of going through the play-in. The Wolves even have more reason to win since they are in the seventh seed but just one and half game behind the Utah Jazz for the sixth seed.
Simply put, the Spurs are in real danger if thy don't find a way to win against those tough opponents. They did beat the Blazers on Sunday behind a big game from Keldon Johnson, but the youngster needs to replicate that performance if they want to bear better opponents. The likes of Zach Collins, Devin Vassell, Tre Jones and the rest of the San Antonio crew must also step up if they are to survive the final few days of 2021-22.
It still remains to be seen how long Dejounte Murray will be out. There has been no official announcement from the team yet as they seem to look at him day-to-day, so there is still a possibility he returns sooner rather than later. Nonetheless, the Spurs better prepare for the worst and expect their star guard to be sidelined at least until the play-in.