PHOENIX — The Boston Celtics say forward Kevin Garnett will miss the next two to three weeks due to a strained muscle on the back of his right knee.

Garnett returned Friday to Boston after injuring the knee on the team's West Coast trip. Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said Saturday that team doctor Brian McKeon diagnosed the muscle strain after tests and an MRI.

Garnett injured his knee while going up for an alley-oop late in the first half of Boston's 90-85 loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday. He landed gingerly and motioned immediately to the bench for a substitute.

After the game, Garnett was not in tremendous pain, but the team decided to send him back to Boston as a precaution when the soreness in his knee persisted.