Jazz G Williams will not return Wednesday

Nov 5, 2008 - 11:58 PM SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams will not return to the lineup Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, according to multiple published reports.

The fourth-year guard sprained his left ankle in an October 18 preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. He has missed the first three games of the regular season, but the Jazz have weathered the storm with three straight wins.

"It's easy for me not to rush back when we're 3-0 as opposed to 1-2 or something like that," Williams told the Salt Lake Tribune. "We've been playing great without me and hopefully we can keep that up."

While the Portland game was set as a possible date of return for Williams, there is no official timetable. The Jazz host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday before opening up a five-game, week-long road trip starting Sunday against the New York Knicks.

"I don't know," Williams told the Tribune. "I'm just going to keep rehabbing, take it day to day. That's all I can do."

Backup Ronnie Price will start his fourth straight game at point guard, with Brevin Knight seeing extended minutes off the bench. Price is averaging 6.0 points and 5.7 assists but has struggled from the field, shooting just 24 percent (6-for-25).