Ankle sprain keeps Golden State Warriors' Monta Ellis sidelined

Warriors guard Monta Ellis won't play tonight at Sacramento, the team announced at practice Monday evening.

Ellis' sprained right ankle is just severe enough to keep him out for the second consecutive game. He was at practice but in sweats. He is officially listed as day-to-day.

"I'm good," Ellis said through a team official after declining to speak with the media. "I'm playing on Wednesday (at home against New Orleans)."

According to several accounts, Ellis sprained his ankle (not the surgically repaired one) midway through the first quarter Friday against New Jersey when someone landed on his foot. He didn't ask to come out of the game until early in the third quarter. Ellis headed straight to the locker room and didn't return. He missed Saturday's game at Phoenix.

Coach Don Nelson said he hasn't decided who would start in place of Ellis — C.J. Watson, who returned from a four-game absence Saturday, or NBA Development League call-up Cartier Martin, who started in Ellis' place in the loss to the Suns on Saturday.

"It's a good experience for us to play without him. It's just different," rookie guard Stephen Curry said. "You know what his game brings night in and night out. So when that 26 points and six assists isn't there, you've got to figure out how to produce that in his absence."