The Milwaukee Bucks have put a slow start behind them and are playing some of their best basketball of the season. They'll face another team that is playing better of late when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Milwaukee Bucks (24-17, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (12-32, 14th in the Western Conference) New Orleans; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans hosts the Milwaukee Bucks after CJ McCollum scored 45 points in the New Orleans Pelicans' 123-119 overtime win over the Utah Jazz.

The Milwaukee Bucks have put a slow start behind ... Lillard was a teammate of Pelicans guard CJ McCollum for 8 1/2 seasons (2013-22) in Portland, and McCollum is coming off a significant ...

BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans hosts the Milwaukee Bucks after CJ McCollum scored 45 points in the New Orleans Pelicans' 123-119 overtime win over the Utah Jazz. The Pelicans are 8-16 on their home court.

McCollum has shouldered more of the scoring load in games the Pelicans have been without Zion Williamson. He is averaging 30.6 points in January in the seven games Williamson has missed. McCollum is averaging just 13 points in the four games Williamson also played.

The Pelicans trailed by 25 points before rallying, mostly behind McCollum, to win their fourth straight and seventh in the last 10. It's been an incredible midseason turnaround for New Orleans, which has gone 12-32 while battling through a rash of key injuries and illnesses.

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While Williamson is an obvious trade chip given his injury history, selling the rest of the squad in favor of young talents, expiring contracts and draft capital could help them pivot to a rebuild.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 29 points with seven assists and Luke Kennard added a season-high 27 as the host Memphis Grizzlies won their fifth straight with a 139-126 victory Friday over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans had their season-best four-game win streak snapped.

The Milwaukee Bucks have played better basketball after the atrocious start to the 2024-25 NBA season but they could be one piece away from seriously contending for a championship. We have collected a priority list of targets the Bucks have going right now.

The Detroit Pistons have $14 million available under the salary cap, meaning the path to adding talent at the NBA trade deadline is easier for them than any other team in the NBA. A recent report indicates that the Pistons are one of several teams interested in trading for Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls.

In this episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, Chris Fedor and Ethan Sands discuss the Cavs’ potential trade options as they approach the trade deadline. Takeaways: The Cavs are exploring trade options but face challenges in acquiring talent.