Tuesday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m. PST, Channel 9 (delayed, 6) -- The Lakers begin a four-game trip against a team that's easy to overlook and, given what comes next, probably won't catch their full attention. The down-and-out Bucks figure to be nothing more than a tuneup, however. .
Thursday at San Antonio, 6:30 p.m., TNT -- The Spurs knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs last spring, setting in motion the off-season that brought free agents Karl Malone and Gary Payton to L.A. as part of the great roster shakeup of summer 2003.
Friday at New Orleans, 5 p.m., Channel 9 (delayed, 6) -- Tim Floyd, who was overwhelmed by the post-Michael Jordan apocalypse in Chicago, now has taken over for Paul Silas as the Hornets' coach.