Johnson Still Sidelined

Phoenix Sun guard Joe Johnson will not play in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals tonight, Coach Mike D’Antoni said Monday.

That will give Johnson four more days to get ready for a possible return for Game 3 Saturday in San Antonio. Johnson has been sidelined since he fractured his left eye socket on May 11 in a face-first fall to the court against Dallas. He underwent surgery the following day.

“That’s the whole thing. That’s why we’re not rushing him,” D’Antoni said. “We’ve got to get him under the gun and see how he plays, because we can’t just throw him out there and say ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a disaster.’ We have to, from practice, have an inkling of the way he is going to play.”

D’Antoni acknowledged that the Suns “got a little carried away” when they speculated late last week that Johnson might be back for Sunday’s series opener against San Antonio, a game the Suns lost, 121-114.

While Johnson has taken a few shots and done some conditioning, he hasn’t practiced.

Johnson was not at practice on Monday. Instead, he was seeing doctors and having more adjustments done on the protective mask designed for him to wear when he does return.

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Spur forward Tim Duncan also could use some rest. He played a team-high 40 minutes Sunday partly because he was afraid his left ankle would stiffen if he sat very long. He even soaked it in a whirlpool during halftime.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I am in for the rest of the way.”