One of Utah Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer's strengths on offense is his array of ways to get shots.

"To be able to finish with both hands keeps them a little bit at bay; they don't know which hand I'm going to shoot with sometimes," he said Wednesday.

"Sometimes I'll face them up, sometimes I'll jab, sometimes I'll drive, back them down. For me, a lot of times it's twisting and moving, making a move side to side, try to use my quickness as an advantage."

That twisting and moving could be a bit of a problem tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers at EnergySolutions Arena at 8:30 for Boozer, who took himself out of Monday's home win over Toronto with 6:13 to go after mildly straining a muscle in his lower left back.

He took treatment Tuesday and Wednesday but did not participate in contact in Wednesday's practice. He is expected for today's shootaround and said he will play tonight.

The injury does affect his twisting, he said.

"Yeah, a little bit, but we'll take care of it (Wednesday) and make sure that it's ready to go (tonight)," Boozer said. "I'll be ready (tonight), absolutely."

Boozer said he was hurt Monday when, "we were trying to trap (Toronto's Jose) Calderon, and I think I just reached out there, and it just pulled a little bit, and I felt it right away."

Having Tuesday off helped a great deal. "I got a lot of healing done (Tuesday)," Boozer said.

Center Mehmet Okur also left Monday's game early — less than six minutes into the first quarter — with a stomach virus. He was told to stay home for Wednesday's practice but was expected to participate in today's shootaround and is considered a game-time decision for tonight.

BIRTHDAY BOYZZ: Kyle Korver celebrated his 27th birthday Monday with a win. Ronnie Brewer would like to do the same tonight for his 23rd birthday.

But C. J. Miles was the one who had the important birthday Tuesday, his 21st.

What did he get? "A birthday breakfast bar and a practice," he said Wednesday before practice while munching on one of those health bars. At least the Jazz didn't practice on his birthday, and at the team autograph session that day, a number of people standing in line wished him happy birthday, and he got some cards.

Miles said he tells his parents, back home in Dallas, he doesn't really want presents.

"They usually try to do something, but I tell them I don't need anything. The thing with that is, I just try to be around my family. That's the biggest thing now because I'm away so much, so like if they could come up here during spring break or something, that's the best present for me."