Utah Jazz: D-Will's knee latest on lengthy list of Jazz injuries

He's been a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

Yet Jazz point guard Deron Williams still had a tough time celebrating Super Bowl Sunday.

"I couldn't really jump up and down like I wanted to," Williams said Monday morning.

That's because Williams, who missed Monday night's game against Charlotte, has what the Jazz are calling a "moderate right (quadriceps) contusion with reflective swelling in the right knee" — translation, a bruised thigh that also caused his knee to swell.

But, Jazz spokesman Jonathan Rinehart added, "the knee joint itself is stable."

Williams was told he may have also strained his knee's medial collateral ligament, Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said that facet of the injury is "insignificant."

Williams said it happened early in Saturday's loss at Portland, where Trail Blazers big man Greg Oden "set a screen on me and ran into me, ran into my quad, like right above my knee."

Williams finished and scored a season-high 35 points against the Blazers, and afterward dismissed any injury, saying, "I get hurt every day."

But the knee ballooned on the team's flight back to Utah.

"It hurt the whole game like any bruise would," Williams said. "But when I got on the plane, my knee just swelled up and it started hurting pretty bad. I couldn't walk.

"I've never had my knee swell up," Williams added, "so I was kind of nervous, especially because I got hit in the quad."

The Jazz are calling Williams out "day-to-day," though Williams — who was wearing a brace Monday — said he was told he may be able to play when Dallas visits on Thursday.

"The doc (team orthopedic physician Dr. Lyle Mason) said he hopes I can be back by Thursday," Williams said after Monday's morning shootaround. "That might be pushing it, but you've just got to, I guess, wait for the swelling to go down and see how quickly it starts feeling better.

"If I can't play, I can't play though," he added. "I definitely want to, so I'm just going to try to get back as soon as possible."

With Williams out, Utah Valley product and usual No. 3 point Ronnie Price made his 17th start Monday. That includes 13 games when Williams was out earlier this season with a sprained ankle, and three at shooting guard.