Deron Williams has returned to the sideline because of his sprained ankle and, now, Andrei Kirilenko has joined him after spraining his right index finger. With Memo Okur still in Turkey with his critically-ill father, the Jazz were desperately shorthanded during their 104-96 loss at Charlotte on Friday night.
Neither Williams, Kirilenko nor Okur are expected to play Saturday, when Utah's five-game road trip ends against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Jazz are 1-3 on the trip and 2-3 on the road this season. Coach Jerry Sloan said Ronnie Price will continue to start at point guard, with Brevin Knight coming off the bench. Price had 14 points and three assists against Charlotte. Knight added eight points and six assists. But they also combined for seven turnovers.
Asked if he thought Williams is frustrated by his injury, Sloan said, "I think anybody would be (frustrated). Any time you have an injury, it sets you back. Sometimes you think that it will go away automatically. We'll just have to see what happens. We all have to try to work through it. We still have to try and win games any way we can."
BOBCATS 104, JAZZ 96: Carlos Boozer was sidelined because of foul trouble during the game's two decisive stretches. In the first half, the Bobcats outscored the Boozer-less Jazz, 11-3. In the second half, Charlotte went on a 16-8 run after Boozer picked up his fourth foul. Combined, the Bobcats outscored the Jazz 27-11 in those 10 minutes. Boozer finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes.
