Forwards Nikola Mirotic and Julius Randle will watch from the bench Wednesday night when the New Orleans Pelicans look to get back to .500 when the visit the Central Division-leading Bucks in Milwaukee.

Both are dealing with sprained ankles. Mirotic has missed the Pelicans' last two games thanks to an injury first sustained Nov. 17. Randle went down late Sunday during a loss to Miami and has yet to return to practice.

Their injuries are the latest blow for a team already playing short-handed after Elfrid Payton broke a finger, leaving him out of action at least until after the holidays, and kicking off a stretch of four straight games against opponents with records better than .500.