Ryan Gomes ran this afternoon with his lower body encased on the Wolves' high-tech treadmill that uses forced air to support his body weight.

It was the most he could do on an injured ankle that has been diagnosed as a high ankle sprain, damage to the ligaments between the lower leg's two major bones.

He could be out two weeks or more, or perhaps no more than a matter of mere days.

"They say it's how I can tolerate the pain," Gomes said after the Timberwolves' afternoon practice today. "Right now, when I did a lot of lateral movement today, it gave me a lot of pain. I've got to give it a ltitle bit of time. We'll give it two to three days and see how it feels."

Gomes will receive treatment daily and will wear an ankle brace whenever he is cleared to begin praticing again.

He injured his ankle and knee in Saturday's loss at Sacramento. An Xray on the ankle taken that night was negative. An MRI on his knee taken in the Twin Cities today showed no damage to it, either.

"The way I landed, the way I twisted it, I was concerned that it could have been something bad," Gomes said of his ankle. "I heard a pop, so I was nervous."

With Gomes out, expect Damien Wilkins to start again at small forward Wednesday night against the Clippers at Target Center.

All four of the Wolves' victories this season have come with Wilkins in the starting lineup.