CHARLOTTE — The Jazz, suffice it to say, were a tad shorthanded Friday night against Charlotte.

They could be again tonight, too.

Usual starting point Deron Williams, starting center Mehmet Okur and sixth man Andrei Kirilenko all did not play when the Jazz fell 104-96 to the Bobcats here.

Williams said his sprained left ankle wasn't strong enough to go play on, and — at the end of a five-game trip finishing with four games in five nights — he probably won't play tonight in Cleveland, either.

"I can't do anything," said Williams, who played two games after missing the season's first six because of the ankle. "I can't push off of it, I can't move like I want to. So, there's no reason to play."

Williams didn't take part in the Jazz's shootaround Friday morning, and afterward acknowledged he may have tried to return too soon.

"I didn't hurt it more, or turn it or anything like that," he said.

"I felt great playing 3-on-3," Williams added, "but then you get in a real game and it's a little different. ... During a game, where you're playing, sitting, playing, sitting, it stiffens up. You just don't know what to expect. So, I tried it out — and I wasn't ready."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan suggested it was Williams' decision to play as much as he did in his first two games back — 31 minutes in Tuesday's win at Philadelphia, and 33 in Wednesday's loss at Washington.

"He said he was fine when I talked to him (Wednesday)," Sloan said. "But as we went on, I think he got a little tired.

"It's a tough situation," he added. "You know, he (Williams) almost has to make the decision himself, because I don't know he feels. I have a lot of respect for what he does, and we're still trying to get that out of him. But I've never asked a player to play hurt."

Williams said he will continue to rehab and work to strengthen the ankle. He also said he may try to play Monday at home vs. Phoenix, but may have to wait until Wednesday against Milwaukee.

Okur, who returned to his native Turkey to be with his seriously ill father, missed a third straight game Friday and is expected to miss a fourth tonight.

As of Friday, the team still didn't know when he would return.

Kirilenko sprained and possibly dislocated the tip of his right index finger in Wednesday's loss at Washington. The forward from Russia suggested Friday morning that pain in the tender digit made playing impractical.

"I can't catch the ball. ... I can run, stay in the lane. But nothing with the ball," Kirilenko said, adding he wasn't sure if he'd be available tonight or not.

Kirilenko sprained the same finger during the preseason, but said "it's way worse right now."

Because of the absences, Utah Valley State product Ronnie Price made his seventh start of the season at the point Friday and rookie Kosta Koufos made a third straight start at center.

If Williams and Okur are absent again tonight, as expected, Price and Koufos are likely to start again against the Cavs.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com