After missing the last month and a half after injuring (and then re-aggravating) his calf, Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko appears to be ready to return to the hardcourt -- just don’t expect it to be for Game 2 of Utah’s series with the Lakers.
Andrei Kirilenko Will Likely Sit Out Game 2 Of Lakers-Jazz Series, Eyeing Game 3 Return
Per Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune, Kirilenko returned to practice on Monday but is unlikely to play in Game 2 on Tuesday night. Utah’s medical personnel, however, is optimistic that with the three additional days of rest he would get if he waits till Game 3, Kirilenko should be ready to return.
Kirilenko has enjoyed something of a renaissance this season, re-emerging as a lockdown defender who helped key Utah’s jump near the top of the Western Conference standings. The Jazz stumbled down the stretch absent their lanky-armed Russian, falling to the 5-seed. If he’s able to come back at anything close to full health, it’d be an enormous boon for a Jazz team that has historically struggled against Kobe’s Lakers.
For more on the Jazz, check out SB Nation’s SLC Dunk.
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