"Injury-plagued center Mehmet Okur hopes to play Wednesday night, when the Jazz end a three-day break against New York at EnergySolutions Arena.

Officially, the Jazz say Okur's availability will be a "game-time decision."

Okur injured his back Dec. 29 against the Clippers in Los Angeles. He has missed Utah's past seven games.

The Jazz have gone 3-3 during Okur's most recent absence. They averaged only 93 points in those games.

"I'm doing better," Okur said prior to Monday morning's practice. "I'll do some stuff today and see how I feel after that."

Asked if he was excited about the prospect of rejoining his teammates, Okur smiled and said, "Every time, I keep saying the same thing. I'm excited and I'm getting better and, hopefully, I'll be out there the next game."

Okur has dealt with back issues throughout his career.

Against the Clippers, he jumped, twisted while reaching for a loose ball and was pushed from behind.

While the Jazz were on the road last weekend - losing at Memphis and beating Houston in overtime - Okur stayed home."