Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Mike Conley stood at his hotel window and playfully tapped the glass as if he was a prisoner.
“You’ll be out soon,” Donovan Mitchell yelled from outside as he filmed the smiling Jazz point guard. “We’ll see you soon, bro.”
Soon may come Friday.
If Conley is able to return his fourth and final negative COVID-19 test before tipoff, he'll be able to play in Game 3 (Friday, 2 p.m., TNT). And the Jazz are apparently pretty confident that will happen. Utah has officially listed Conley as probable for the contest.
“Can’t wait to have him back,” coach Quin Snyder said. “His teammates feel excited to have a guy that’s so impactful, and such a good player and such a big part of what we do.”
Conley returned to the NBA bubble in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Monday night after leaving to be his family following the birth of his son Elijah, and has been isolated in his hotel room ever since.
It was from that room he watched the Jazz walloped the Nuggets in Game 2 to tie the series and now he'll likely be the next card played in the best-of-seven bout. The Nuggets have already struggled to stop the Jazz and now Utah gets a player back who averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 assists and shot 44% from 3 in the last playoff series he was in.
“It's another big weapon on our side,” Rudy Gobert said. “Juwan (Morgan) has been amazing for the two starts that he had with us. … Just (Mike's) experience, his poise and his talents, it's something that can only make the team better. Throughout the whole bubble experience, Mike's been playing the best basketball I've seen him play. I really feel like he's in a great place. And I think it can only be positive for us to have him back.”
Conley was arguably playing his best ball of the season when he left the bubble Sunday morning. In the five full games he played during the restart, he averaged 19.8 points and 5.6 assists. The Jazz don't anticipate Conley needing to work himself back into game form. It’s only been a few short days since Conley was with the team — something Snyder compared to simply resting during a game.
NBA playoffs: Jazz vs. Nuggets, 1st round
Series tied 1-1
- Game 1: Nuggets 135, Jazz 125 OT
- Game 2: Jazz 124, Nuggets 105
- Game 3: Friday, Aug. 21, 2 p.m. MDT, TNT
- Game 4: Sunday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m., MDT, TNT
- *Game 5: Tuesday, Aug. 25, TBD
- *Game 6: Thursday, Aug. 27, TBD
- *Game 7: Saturday, Aug. 29, TBD
*If necessary
All games will be played in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
“I don’t think that’s even a question or an issue,” he said. “He’s only been out for a few days, so I don’t think there’s any reintegration to be had. It’s like being out a quarter, or six minutes.”
With Conley back, the Jazz will have another player who can run the pick and roll — a play they’ve used to destroy Denver. Utah has scored a league-best 1.40 points per possession on pick-and-roll plays through the first two games of the series.
“Mike Conley is a very good basketball player and a great leader, so he can only bring some positive,” Gobert said. “He has a lot of experience, he knows how to create for himself and for his teammates so it can only be a plus for our team, and we're excited to have him back.”
In two games against Denver this season, Conley averaged 20.5 points and five assists. So how will Denver counter his return?
“Honestly, man, I don’t really know. We’ve played against Conley mostly every time besides the playoffs,” Denver reserve Monte Morris said. “I don’t know what they got in store, I’m more focused just on what we do. If we come out and play our basketball, it shouldn’t really matter who’s playing. If we do the right things, we can beat anybody. Whatever they bring, we just gotta be ready to bring noise back.”
