Kirilenko’s status uncertain after ankle sprain

Andrei Kirilenko

Andrei Kirilenko
Andrei Kirilenko (AP)
The issues just keep piling up for Brooklyn. Nets forward Andrei Kirilenko sprained his right ankle in the first quarter of the team’s 104-89 victory against the Sacramento Kings Monday night, and left in the second quarter after trying to shake it off. Kirilenko injured the ankle by inadvertently stepping on teammate Deron Williams’s foot.

“I don’t think it’s a serious injury, but it’s still tweaked,” Kirilenko said after the game. “I assume it’s going to be a couple days.”

The Nets play tonight against the division-leading Toronto Raptors, and Kirilenko wasn’t sure last night if he’d be good to go.

“We’ll see tomorrow,” Kirilenko added. “Usually, the next day is a crucial day. So we’ll see in the morning how it feels.”

Kirilenko’s injury is the third to Brooklyn’s frontcourt in the last two weeks: Kevin Garnett has missed five games battling back spasms, and Paul Pierce left the same game as Kirilenko just 73 seconds in after re-aggravating a “stinger” in his neck & shoulder area that has bothered him for a few years.

Both Kirilenko and Pierce are officially listed as day-to-day.