Said assistant coach Phil Johnson : "If you would have said when we left on the trip that we'd split ... we would have probably taken it."

The Jazz will have only one longer trip this season. Their annual pre-Christmas journey is a five-gamer.

Last week, they beat New York and Philadelphia. They lost to Boston and Cleveland.

Against the Knicks, Utah lost back-up point guard Ronnie Price with a sprained toe.

Then, Deron Williams left the team after two games because of a medical situation involving his daughter.

From afar, Williams watched the Jazz beat Philadelphia and lose in Cleveland.

Said Williams: "We lost to two tough teams on the road. The Celtics and Cavs are two of the top teams in the NBA. So you've got to be pleased. You always like to come out with a better record than that, but it's a pretty good trip."

Johnson believes the Jazz played poorly in only one game. In the 105-86 loss to the Celtics, they committed 21 turnovers and went 0-for-10 on 3-pointers.

"We didn't play very well against Boston," Johnson said. "But they are very, very good. They made us play badly, they're so good."

According to Williams, watching on television provides a telling perspective of how a team is playing.

"When we get in our offense and execute and stay with it -- when we get to the right spots and get set up early -- it's tough to stop us," he said.

?

Price, Miles still on mend

Price (sprained toe) is doubtful for Wednesday night's game against Toronto. He was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday.

"I'm still sore," he said. "I'm walking better [and] my treatment is going well. If it was up to me, I'd be trying to play through it. But I can't. The pain is really bad. ... It's one of those things I can't play through."

Meanwhile, C.J. Miles hopes to return from preseason thumb surgery in two weeks.

Miles had his cast removed last week.

"They told me to take it easy -- don't rush into anything, let it heal," he said.

Miles wants to start practicing "within the next week." If he doesn't suffer any setbacks, he could return for a Dec. 4 game against Indiana.

Asked if he thought about accelerating the process, Miles said, "It's tempting. But the first thing the [doctor] said when he took the cast off was, 'Don't do anything stupid.' So I'm restraining myself."

Sloan encourages cancer screening

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan missed practice Monday, when he underwent a scheduled colonoscopy.

Sloan authorized the team's public relations department to tell reporters the specific reason for his absence because he wants to encourage others to do the same.

Sloan's first wife, Bobbye, died of pancreatic cancer in 2004.

luhm@sltrib.com