On Friday — even with point guard Deron Williams having returned to the lineup from his sprained left ankle two nights earlier, and backup shooting guard Kyle Korver ready to return from a re-sprained right wrist that evening — Jerry Sloan warned that the Jazz shouldn't feel too good about inching back toward a mostly healthy roster.
"There's no guarantee," Sloan said, "(that) somebody else doesn't get banged up."
On Saturday, the Jazz coach proved oh-so-right.
Sixth man Andrei Kirilenko exited before halftime of a 105-88 loss to New Jersey because of pain and inflammation in his right ankle, and he never did return.
The forward from Russia had X-rays taken at the EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday night, and results didn't reveal any sprains or fractures.
They did, however, show what the Jazz are calling a "point of irritation."
Kirilenko will be re-evaluated today, and is being listed as "day-to-day."
Kirilenko thinks his ankle might have actually been bothered in Friday night's game, though he can't pinpoint when exactly he might have been injured.
The ankle was somewhat uncomfortable before Saturday's game — he compared the pain he had before the game to the uncomfortable feeling of having a cramp — but he felt good enough to play after warm-ups.
"When I came to the game, I stretched a little bit and it feels pretty good," he said. "But after 10 minutes it was weakened. I couldn't stand, couldn't make the first step or play defense. It was just bothering me."
And, he added, "I feel like it's getting worse and worse."
Kirilenko isn't sure what his course of action is for now.
"I don't really exactly know what it is," he said. "I just feel it was so weak. I just couldn't really walk right now. (Today) we'll see how it feels."
Kirilenko, who dislocated and sprained a fingertip a couple of weeks ago, grimaced when asked about the abundance of injuries the Jazz have suffered this season.
"We've really lost a lot of people," he said. "I'll try to recover as much as possible, but there's nothing I can do."
This latest loss, though, seems to have hit particularly hard.
"Andrei's a big part of our defense," small forward C.J. Miles said. "(His) energy, and his versatility, help us out a lot. But it's still no excuse."
Yet it sure didn't help, either.
"Obviously," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, "when Andrei went out of the game and wasn't able to come back and play ... you see 'em drop their heads down."
HARPRING MRI: Jazz reserve forward Matt Harpring didn't dress against the Nets due to a strained lower back sustained during warmups before last Monday's game against Chicago.
He is scheduled to undergo an MRI test on the back today, the Jazz announced after Saturday's game.
All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer (strained left quadriceps tendon), reserve point guard Brevin Knight (sprained left index finger) and out-indefinitely reserve big man Jarron Collins (swollen right elbow) all also did not play Saturday. Knight indicated he might be able to play Tuesday at Sacramento.
WILLIAMS DECISION: Jazz point guard Deron Williams considered himself "50-50" for Saturday's game, but ultimately decided to play even though it was the back end of a back-to-back set and his sprained left ankle still is less than 100 percent.
"It was a little tougher today that it was (Friday). But it's not making excuses," said Williams. "I think I could have done a little better job out there handling the ball. I threw a couple passes away. And we could got have gotten out and run a little more."
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