"I was devastated," Steve Francis said yesterday when asked about the play which caused him to sprain his ankle, not sounding too confident that he will be able to suit up tonight when the Knicks begin a road trip in Denver.

Francis was undercut by the Spurs' Bruce Bowen as he made a jumper in the first quarter of the Knicks' 105-93 loss Monday night. When he came down, he landed on Bowen and twisted the ankle.

Asked if it was a dirty play, Francis said, "I think so, but it was unfortunate for me. I was just happy for my teammates to show some will to fight back throughout all the turmoil."

Francis didn't practice yesterday and is questionable for tonight's game against the Nuggets. Thomas said Jamal Crawford would start if Francis can't go.

"If it feels good, I'm going to play, no matter what," Francis said. "But as of right now I'm definitely not sure."