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Pelicans shootaround update presented by HUB International: Key DNPs for both teams in ESPN game

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MILWAUKEE – As has unfortunately been the case throughout New Orleans’ 2019-20 regular season, Wednesday’s game at Fiserv Forum will be notable partly for who’s not going to be in uniform.

Midway through this morning’s Pelicans shootaround, coaches and players learned that Milwaukee All-Star and reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out of tonight’s game, with the Bucks tweeting from their official account that Antetokounmpo won’t play due to quad tendon soreness. Roughly a half-hour later, Alvin Gentry told reporters that his team will be without Derrick Favors, who has not played since mid-November but is working to get back into condition to be able to suit up.

When the NBA schedule was released in August, ESPN likely was highly anticipating broadcasting this mid-week matchup due to it being the first on-court meeting of Antetokounmpo and No. 1 pick Zion Williamson, but Williamson remains in the process of working to get back on the floor.

Other notes from shootaround in Wisconsin:

Favors on his process of trying to get back into game action: “I don’t want to rush it. I’ve been out for a couple weeks now. I don’t want to rush and get back out there too early and possibly hurt something else. I want to get my rhythm back, get back in shape and take my time to not hurt myself or hurt the team. Be smart with it.” …

The 10-year NBA veteran, whose mother passed away just before Thanksgiving, was asked about the impact Deandra made on him.

“She helped me out a lot,” Favors said. “From calling me before every game, to calling me after every game for 10 years, always giving me positive thoughts and messages. She’s a big reason why I made it to the NBA and why I’ve been successful here. She was always that person I could call. That’s something I’m going to miss, but I also learned a lot from here. I’m going to remember those old messages and old things she used to tell him that helped me out a lot.” …

After making at least 10 three-pointers in each of the first 22 games, New Orleans went 3/32 at Dallas and 8/38 vs. Detroit. Despite those numbers, the Pelicans are still fourth in the NBA in threes made per game (14.1), but they dropped from fourth in the league in percentage all the way to 12th (36.3) as a result of those unusually poor nights from beyond the arc. Coincidentally, Milwaukee is very good defensively overall but seems to have a philosophy of giving up perimeter attempts. The Bucks are last in the NBA in three-pointers allowed per game (13.8) and 29th in attempts allowed per game (37.9, ahead of only Toronto’s 38.7).

“They do a great job of protecting the paint,” Gentry said of the Bucks’ defense. “They do give up a lot of three-point shots, so we’re going to have to take good shots, but we’re going to have to shoot it better than in the last two games.”

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