Here we go again: Pelicans' Dejounte Murray breaks his hand | Pelicans

If you're a sports fan in New Orleans, you should have known that a night like Wednesday was probably too good to be true.

There is simply no way things could truly be as perfect as stated on the Smoothie King Center scoreboard and stat sheet.

Chances are, you left the arena feeling very optimistic about this season after the Pelicans defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-111 in their season-opening win.

And you should have felt that way after watching the Pelicans win like that while their best player wasn't even in the building because he was battling an illness.

No Zion Williamson. No problem.

Brandon Ingram scored 33 points and CJ McCollum 23, picking up the slack in Williamson's absence.

On the other end of the court was a stifling defense that turned up the heat in the third quarter, producing turnover after turnover as the Pels outscored the Bulls 36-25.

Rookie Yves Missi scored 12 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 3 shots in his NBA debut, perhaps answering the Pelicans' concerns about the center position much sooner than expected.

And then there was Dejounte Murray, who did exactly what the Pelicans brought him to New Orleans to do, leading the offense and finishing with 14 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds.

But when those same fans returned home, there was a dose of that down-to-earth news that fans in this city know all too well.

Murray broke his left hand during the game, ESPN first reported shortly after the game. Footage taken late on Wednesday night confirmed that it was indeed a fracture, meaning Murray will miss some time.

It's the latest blow to a fan base that has suffered through the injury-riddled years of Williamson and Ingram. A franchise that just can't seem to shake off injuries just suffered a significant injury in one game of the season.

Before the game, Pelicans coach Willie Green discussed Williamson's absence. Green's words could also apply to this latest news about Murray.

“It's a long season and here we are in the first game with some adversity,” Green said before kickoff. “It’s the next man’s turn. Let's be ready. When it’s all said and done, just compete for your ass and we can all live with that.”

No fan base has heard “Next Man Up” more than Pelicans fans. (Ok, maybe the NFL team that plays in that giant dome across the street).

But here the Pelicans are already in next man up mode and must replace Murray, one of only 8 players in the NBA to average 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists over the last three seasons.

The Pelicans traded for Murray this offseason so he could be the glue for this team. He was the guy who ran the offense and made sure they didn't collapse late in the game, as happened so often last season.

Now that burden shifts back to Williamson, Ingram and McCollum.

The silver lining is that the Pelicans have a strong roster that can likely keep things moving in Murray's absence. Earlier in the season, Green talked about the different lineup combinations he could potentially use. He will be able to use this exercise faster than he wanted. Wednesday's starting lineup consisted of Murray, McCollum, Ingram, Herb Jones and Daniel Theis. Green can simply substitute Williamson for Murray in the starting lineup for the upcoming road trip, which includes two games against Portland and Golden State.

The players know the show must go on.

“You just control what you can control,” McCollum said. “I'm just worried about today. There will be enough problems tomorrow.”

If you're a Pelicans fan, you know this all too well.