Cleveland ? Cavaliers rookie LeBron James will be kept out of practice today to rest his sprained right ankle, which he injured in a win over Utah.

James was hurt Saturday night when he rolled his ankle after missing a layup in the final seconds of regulation in Cleveland’s 102-96 overtime win against the Jazz.

X-rays taken Sunday were negative when James was re-evaluated by team doctors after the Cavaliers returned from Utah. A Cavs spokesman said an MRI was not performed.

The team said James would not practice today, and it would be a game-time decision whether the 19-year-old star played Tuesday night when the Cavs play host to the Seattle SuperSonics — the first of five straight home games for Cleveland.

In all likelihood, James will miss a few games to make sure his ankle is 100 percent. Earlier this season, Cleveland forward Carlos Boozer missed six games because of a sprained ankle.

James, averaging 20.4 points per game, had scored 27 points with seven rebounds when he landed awkwardly after attempting a driving layup from the left side with 12 seconds to play.

In obvious pain, the No. 1 overall draft pick stayed on the baseline for a few moments before being helped to his feet. He was unable to put any weight on his right foot and needed teammates to carry him to the Cavs’ locker room.

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas faces a probable suspension from the NBA for fighting Saturday with Utah’s Greg Ostertag. The two big men squared off and exchanged a few harmless punches in the third quarter after tangling near the basket. Both were ejected.

Nuggets activate Pope

Denver — The Nuggets activated forward Mark Pope from the injured list Sunday and placed guard Jeff Trepagnier on the injured list because of a sprained left ankle.

Pope had been on the injured list all season because of tendinitis in his left knee.