Nate McMillan wouldn't definitively rule Ray Allen out of tonight's Sonics game against Milwaukee, but said the chances of the star guard playing after spraining his right ankle on Sunday were doubtful.

"He's a game-time decision," McMillan said. "He's limping a little bit. He has some soreness there.

"I've seen Ray go down with a sprained ankle and come back. And for him not to come back (in Sunday's game) told me that he had a lot of pain there."

The Sonics aren't expecting Allen to play, but they will welcome back center Jerome James, who missed two games with a right quadriceps bruise, and forward Danny Fortson, who was out three games with a sprained left ankle.

Both are listed as game-time decisions, but they gave every indication at yesterday's light, 30-minute workout that they would be available tonight.

"It's just that time of the year when guys are banged up," said guard Luke Ridnour, who has been slowed by an assortment of nagging injuries. "The only thing that can really help is rest, but there's not time for that. The games are coming too quick."

Forward Reggie Evans, who didn't practice yesterday because of a sore right ankle, has been added to the list of walking wounded, which includes guard Antonio Daniels, hampered by torn meniscus in his left knee, and forward Nick Collison, who is wearing a plastic mask to protect a broken nose.

Then there's Rashard Lewis. McMillan wanted to decrease the small forward's minutes and help him recover from a season-long bout with tendinitis in his left knee, but Allen's absence negated those plans.

During the Sonics' 102-100 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Lewis played 43 minutes and scored a team-high 27 points on 9-for-15 shooting. He has played fewer than 38 minutes in just two of the past 13 games.

"The thing to do is to try and win games and try to cut minutes at the same time," McMillan said. "But he's one of the main keys. You got to have him out on the floor at certain times."

"This is nothing new for me. I've been here before and I know how to react," Murray said Sunday. "I'm not coming in trying be Ray Allen. Can't do that. I can be me and play my game and do what the team needs me to do."

The Sonics need Murray to fill up the basket. Seattle is 13-15 the past two seasons when Allen sits out, but it is 10-5 in those games when Murray scores at least 20 points.

Despite playing sparingly most of the season, Murray came off the bench and poured in a season-high 25 points in 35 minutes against Los Angeles after Allen was injured late in the first quarter.

He displayed the skills — the jitterbug moves and quick-strike scoring — that made him an overnight success story last season and possibly a highly sought-after free agent when the season ends.

"He's deferring to Ray when Ray is in the lineup, and when Ray is out of the lineup, like (Sunday) night, he knows that he has to provide some scoring," McMillan said. "He has to do that, and I think that's smart on his part. His ego is not so big that he's out there competing against Ray as opposed to playing the game."

Allen's injury occurred when he drove into the lane, missed a layup in traffic and landed awkwardly after trying for the rebound. He fell to the floor, limped to the locker room and never returned.

After X-rays in Los Angeles on Sunday and yesterday in Seattle didn't reveal serious damage, Allen, who was unavailable to the media, walked gingerly around the Furtado Center yesterday and spent most of the workout receiving treatment.

"We're banged up, but you've got to play," McMillan said. "Most teams, most players this time of the year, has got something that's sore on them.

"But we've been able to have some guys who haven't played to step in and do a good job. ... We're plugging in holes and trying to go with it."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com