Stomach virus sidelines Harpring

TORONTO — The Jazz beat Toronto on Wednesday night without veteran backup small forward Matt Harpring — but not because of his surgically repaired right knee.

Rather, Harpring — who is with the team for its current three-game trip, which also includes stops Friday at Cleveland and Saturday at Indiana — was out because of an apparent stomach virus.

This stomach episode, Harpring said, has not been as bad as it was when it happened a couple times last season — causing him to miss four games in all and make a couple hospital visits.

"No, not as bad. I didn't pass out," he said. "But I had a rough night, for sure."

Harpring also got sick multiple times during the Jazz's hour-plus-long bus ride from their team hotel to Air Canada Centre on Wednesday.

"It just wasn't a good day for me," he said, adding it's likely he caught something from his young son and wife, who both have been ill in recent days.

"I kind of quarantined myself in a room in my house and didn't think I'd get it," he said. "But ... it got to me."

The 10-season vet also didn't play in Utah's win over Memphis last Saturday because of swelling in a knee, which twice previously was repaired via microfracture surgery and this past summer was surgically cleaned of scar tissue.

He did return, though, to play in Monday's win over Sacramento, scoring 10 points in 13 minutes off the bench.

Harpring is averaging 8.0 points in the seven games he's played this season.

FOUR ON BALLOT: Each of the Jazz's so-called Big Four — point guard Deron Williams, small forward Andrei Kirilenko, power forward Carlos Boozer and center Mehmet Okur — is among 60 Western Conference players listed on the fan-voting ballot for this season's NBA All-Star Game.

The ballot was unveiled Wednesday in New Orleans, where the league's annual showcase event will be held Feb. 17.

Voting begins today and continues through mid-January at arenas throughout the league, on-line at NBA.com and at various T-Mobile-owned retail locations.

First chance for Jazz fans to vote at EnergySolutions Arena comes Monday night, when Utah plays host to New Jersey.

Fans will select starters for both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, with NBA coaches voting for reserves.