With only 24 hours left before the trade deadline, NBA fans are refreshing their social media feeds to stay up-to-date with the latest transactions and rumors. But the NBA regular season doesn’t stop. The games keep coming, even when you are 13-39 for the season like the New Orleans Pelicans. On Wednesday, the Pelicans face the Milwaukee Bucks on the road in their final game before Thursday’s 3 pm EST trade deadline.
There aren’t too many positives to take away from the Pelicans’ season, but at least they are largely healthy right now. Ahead of the Bucks game, the Pelicans only have Dejounte Murray listed on their injury report. Murray has yet to make his season debut, and injury updates have been few and far between, but the 29-year-old guard teased a return to action at some point in February. However, Pelicans fans have to wait a little longer before seeing Murray on the court.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Out, Pelicans Healthy for Wednesday’s Clash
Besides Murray, the Pelicans will be fully healthy for the seventh straight game. Since Herb Jones returned from his extended absence, the Pelicans have been playing much better and are 3-3 in their last six games. Zion Williamson is currently in the midst of the longest healthy stretch of his career and will play in his 27th straight game on Wednesday.
The Bucks, on the other hand, have yet to release their injury report because they are on the second night of a back-to-back. They defeated the short-handed Bulls 131-115 on Tuesday to end their five-game losing streak.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who doesn’t have a timetable to return from his calf strain, remains sidelined. Taurean Prince is also out with a neck injury, and Kevin Porter Jr. should be questionable, but head coach Doc Rivers said he may return to the lineup after missing the last six games.
The injury report can certainly change between now and the 8 pm EST tip-off. Teams will sit their players involved in trade discussions, so if any talks materialize for either Milwaukee or New Orleans over the next few hours, the list of absences could expand. So far, the Pelicans don’t seem too interested in parting ways with their key contributors, so it would be a major surprise if they make a trade before Wednesday’s clash. The Bucks are more likely to make a trade, even if it doesn’t involve Antetokounmpo.
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