Miller Says Bad Ankle Won’t Sideline Him

Andre Miller vowed to play today against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After all, it’s going to take a good deal more than a sprained left ankle to keep him from playing. He has sat out two games in his three-plus NBA seasons, one Sunday because of his ankle and one last season while with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I ran into Kenny Thomas and my shoulder popped out,” Miller said, referring to a collision with the burly Houston Rocket forward. “I had no choice. I had to sit out. But I’m going to play [today].”

Jasen Powell, Clipper athletic trainer, said Miller’s participation would be a game-time decision.

Miller was injured Nov. 29, when he collided with Bobby Jackson of the Sacramento Kings. He sat out the Clippers’ loss Sunday against the Indiana Pacers, but played 32 minutes and scored 13 points with seven assists in a victory Wednesday over the Miami Heat.

“He’s an old school player like Mo Cheeks,” Coach Alvin Gentry said, comparing Miller to the former Philadelphia 76er point guard and current Portland Trail Blazer coach. “There’s not a lot of fancy stuff. He doesn’t go behind his back or through his legs with the ball unless there’s a good reason. He gets the job done. There’s no flash, but a lot of substance. I don’t think I’ve seen him do anything flashy.”

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Gentry said he would move Marko Jaric to a reserve role today, giving Tremaine Fowlkes a rare start at small forward against the Timberwolves. Fowlkes is better suited to defend Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett.

“It would be unfair to ask Marko to guard Kevin Garnett,” Gentry said. “Tremaine has guarded him before. He’s tough for anyone to guard.”

Gentry would prefer to have Lamar Odom on Garnett, but Odom hasn’t made enough progress to come off the injured list from a sprained right ankle. He practiced with his teammates Friday.

“Obviously, Lamar would be a great matchup for us,” Gentry said.

Last season, Gentry put Darius Miles on Garnett and the teams split four games, with Miles leading the Clippers in scoring twice. The Clippers traded Miles to get Miller from Cleveland during the off-season.

TODAY

vs. Minnesota, 12:30, Channel 5

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- KLAC (570).

Records -- Clippers 7-12, Timberwolves 11-9.

Record vs. Timberwolves (2001-02) -- 2-2.

Update -- This is the fifth game on a six-game trip for the Timberwolves, who won Thursday at Golden State, 114-98. The Clippers lead the all-time series, 27-25, and are 17-9 at home. The Clippers have won three of their last four games against Minnesota at Staples.

Tickets -- (800) 462-2849.