Utah Jazz notebook: Price injured; Miles has cast removed

NEW YORK — Jazz combo guard Ronnie Price exited after injuring his left big toe in the second quarter, and did not play in the second half of Monday night's win over the New York Knicks.

"I don't know the correct term for it," said Price, who recently recovered from a preseason hamstring strain to take away Utah's backup point guard position from rookie Eric Maynor.

"When I planted to take off into a sprint, I felt a pop underneath my big toe, and it's pretty bad," Price added. "The pain was there, and then 30 seconds later it just kept getting worse and worse and worse ... so I knew something was wrong."

The Jazz were calling the injury a "sprain," and more about the injury's extent may be known Tuesday.

X-rays were negative, but Price said he wasn't sure if he'd be out short-term or long-term.

"I have no idea," he said.

With Price unavailable, Maynor relieved starter Deron Williams for one minute and 27 seconds late in Monday's third quarter.

The rookie hit two free-throw attempts during his short stint, while Price finished with two assists and two points on 1-for-3 field shooting in his six minutes.

MILES' CAST REMOVED: With a Twitter tweet reading something like a Marv Albert call might sound, Jazz swingman C.J. Miles revealed Monday — as expected would happen — that he had the cast protecting his left, shooting hand removed.

"Yessssssssss," Miles, the Jazz's starting small forward last season, tweeted on his personal Twitter account. "Cast officially offfffffff."

Injured while the Jazz were preparing for an early October preseason game in London, Miles underwent surgery Oct. 7 in New York to repair the ruptured ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb.

He said after a follow-up visit Monday with his surgeon here that he hopes to be playing again by mid-December "at the latest," and cited a Dec. 16 game at New Jersey as a possible return date.

But Miles said before Monday's win at New York that his thumb was still swollen, and he has limited range of motion.

"I can't really spread my hand all the way, or grab and grip anything," he said.

He'll be limited to whirlpool work with the thumb for about a week, and hopes to progress from there while wearing either a splint or a soft cast.

"Next week, maybe, hopefully," Miles said, "I'll start to be able to gauge the pain of it so I can judge what I can do and what I have to work through."

It was with great anticipation that Miles made the follow-up visit to his surgeon.