Utah Jazz: Boozer a no-go again tonight; Kirilenko to play

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Carlos Boozer will miss a 15th straight game tonight when the Jazz visit the New Jersey Nets here, but Andrei Kirilenko will play.

Boozer, a two-time NBA All-Star power forward, has been out since sustaining a strained left quadriceps tendon and bruised kneecap in a Nov. 19 game vs. Milwaukee.

The Jazz — who never did give an estimated timetable for how long he'd be out beyond "day-to-day" — had been calling him "doubtful" on Tuesday, but after today's morning shootaround they ruled out his playing tonight.

Kirilenko, who played in the Jazz's loss at Boston on Monday night, on Tuesday was being called a "game-time decision" due to a strained upper-back muscle.

But after today's shootaround, the team said the sixth-man forward would play when the Jazz visit the Nets at the Izod Center in stop No. 2 of a five-game Eastern road swing.

The trip continues with a back-to-back set Friday night at Detroit and Saturday night at Chicago, and concludes with a visit to Milwaukee on Tuesday night.

E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com