Miller Returns After Missing Game

Andre Miller tested his sprained left ankle at Wednesday’s morning shootaround and it was determined he was fit enough to play later against the Miami Heat. Miller sat out only his second NBA game in three-plus seasons Sunday.

“I’m going to play him until he says he can’t play,” Coach Alvin Gentry said.

Gentry acknowledged that some players fib to coaches and team medical personnel about their conditions in order to keep playing. Gentry said he had no choice but to trust Miller in this case.

“He’s smart enough, he’s been in the NBA long enough to understand [when to sit out],” Gentry said. “I told him to be as honest as he can be with me. I don’t want anybody being a hero.”

Miller, who was then with the Cleveland Cavaliers, was sidelined for one game last season because of a bruised right shoulder.

He did not miss a game in either of his first two seasons in the league.

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With Miller sound for Wednesday’s game against the Heat, Gentry returned Quentin Richardson to his role as the team’s first substitute.

Miller and Eric Piatkowski started at the guard spots with Melvin Ely at center and Marko Jaric and Elton Brand at the forward positions.

Gentry isn’t expecting a great deal from Ely, a rookie from Fresno State who played in his fourth game Wednesday after sitting out most of training camp and the season’s first month because of a sprained left foot. Not yet, anyway.

Gentry also said he would continue to start Ely over Wang Zhi- zhi. “Melvin is a better rebounder and a more physical player,” Gentry said.