Trey Murphy III reveals Najib Marshall’s text after controversial Pelicans-Mavericks finish

New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III recently shared details humorous text exchanges with Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall after their team’s controversial 119-116 victory. The game drew significant attention due to an uncalled goaltending foul in the final seconds, which sealed the victory for the Pelicans.

Speaking on The Young Man & The Three podcast, Murphy addressed a contested play in which he blocked a layup attempt by Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Replays showed the ball touched the backboard before Murphy’s block, which should have been ruled a goalie.

“Look, I’m just playing until the whistle goes, that’s it,” Murphy said when asked about his reaction to the call.

Asked if he initially thought the play was a goal-scorer, Murphy admitted he had no doubts at the time.

“No, absolutely not.” I was like, hell yeah, let’s go!” Murphy said. “I looked at the video after the game and said, I can see where someone could say they think it’s the goalkeeper. You might have a point.”

Trey Murphy reveals Najib Marshall’s playful text after controversial Pelicans-Mavericks finish

Murphy also revealed the light-hearted text he received from former Pelicans teammate Najib Marshall after the game.

“Don’t you know the commercial where the guy was like… ‘I touched the ball, coach,'” Murphy recounted. “He sent it to me and said, ‘If you were real, you’d go to the judge.'”

The missed call drew criticism from Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who expressed frustration with the officiating. However, the The Mavericks ultimately decided not to file an official protest with the NBA.

The Pelicans improved to 10-32 with the win and prepare for their next game against the Utah Jazz (10-29) on Friday night. Meanwhile, the Mavericks fell to 22-19 and currently hold the seventh seed in the Western Conference standings.

Despite the controversy, the exchange between Marshall and Murphy showed the camaraderie between the two former teammates, adding a light-hearted touch to an otherwise tense situation.