Brown OK but status uncertain

Neurological signs were normal and preliminary X-rays were negative for Jazz point guard Dee Brown, who was taken to a local hospital after injuring his neck in the first half of Utah's playoff win Wednesday over Golden State.

Brown left the EnergySolutions floor with assistance and was wheeled in a cart to an ambulance.

He wanted to return to the game after sustaining the scary-looking injury, but Jazz medical personnel insisted he take a trip to the hospital to undergo additional evaluation.

With Brown out, backup Derek Fisher arriving late because of a family medical matter and starter Deron Williams in foul trouble, Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko wound up playing some point for the Jazz.

"I don't think it's my position," Kirilenko said, "but once in a while I can play it."

Teammates were glad he could.

"It wasn't a nice feeling," guard Gordan Giricek said of Williams picking up his second foul early, "because he's the motor of our team."

Things only got worse when Brown was hurt.

"It was tough," Giricek said, "because we lose two points and Fish is not there. I think Andrei did excellent, knowing he did not play that position."

Brown suffered no structural damage and was diagnosed with a sprained neck, Jazz basketball boss Kevin O'Connor said late Wednesday. Brown is listed as day-to-day, and it is unknown whether he will travel to Oakland, Calif., for Game 3 Friday.

Fisher will travel to Oakland, O'Connor said.

FISHER SUPPORTED: Teammates all expressed support Wednesday for Fisher, whose daughter is battling a form of childhood retinal cancer.

"He always motivates us and he's a great leader," Kirilenko said. "We'll pray for him."

"It is what it is right now," center Mehmet Okur added. "Everybody is with him right now mentally. Hopefully everything is going to go well for him."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan expressed similar sentiment after Wednesday's morning shootaround.

"Family comes first as far as the player is concerned," Sloan said. "If he's got some problems, whatever the case is ... basketball is minor. It doesn't even amount to anything.

"People get all upset a person missing, or not being able to be here — I feel bad for the player. The player is more important than us, or anything else as far as I'm concerned."

JUST VISITING: Retired Jazz shooting guard Jeff Hornacek, now living in the Phoenix area, was in town and dropped in on the Jazz's morning shootaround Wednesday. He was not there, however, to help Kirilenko with his shooting — something he made a special trip to do earlier this season. "I wish, though," Kirilenko said.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com

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