From Deseret News archives:
Utah Jazz: Millsap hoping to return to lineup on road trip
Millsap missed Monday's win over Indiana — only the fourth absence in his three-year career — with a bruised right knee that he said had about 10CCs of fluid drained out of it to reduce swelling earlier in the day.
That procedure, he said today, helped alleviate some pain. He planned on participating in practice today at the Jazz training facility — in hopes of having more jumping ability and mobility — before the team left for their three-game road trip this afternoon.
"It's feeling a little better than it was yesterday," Millsap said. "But it's still a little sore."
In other practice news, usual starting small forward C.J. Miles increased his rehab activity today and will be a game-time decision Wednesday, according to a team spokesman. Miles has missed two games in a row with a moderately sprained right ankle.
Also, point guard Deron Williams sat out practice today, though not because of the sinus infection that kept him out of two recent practices. Williams suffered a bruised left foot Monday when Indiana's Jeff Foster landed on him late in the fourth quarter.
X-rays taken at the arena were negative, and Williams is considered "probable" to play against the Thunder.
The Jazz, winners of four straight, still haven't announced whether they will recall Kyrylo Fesenko from the Utah Flash of the D-League, though that would seem less likely if Millsap appeared ready to return to the lineup.
Millsap definitely hopes that's the case.
"I hate missing games. It's the worst thing I can ever do right now," he said. "But they played well yesterday at home and I believed that that would happen so I just took a chance."
Interestingly, Millsap was surprised that his most-recent knee injury — which occurred Saturday when Kyle Korver collided with him after making a basket — has caused more pain than the injury he suffered in December when he sprained a ligament (the PCL) in his left knee.
That injury forced Millsap to miss three games.
"It actually hurt a little bit more than my left one did. Something little minor like that hurt worse than something real major," he said. "It's just sore. I'm going to try to see where I'm at right now.
"Things like that happen," he added about his two back-to-back knee injuries, "but, you know, only the strongest can get through it."
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