Mike Conley Upgraded To Questionable Against Thunder
May 13, 2021, 5:23 PM
Mike Conley #10 of the Utah Jazz sets up a play during second half action at AT&T Center on January 29, 2020 in San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 127-120. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Mike Conley may be nearing a return to the basketball court. The Utah Jazz upgraded the All-Star guard to questionable ahead of their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night.
Conley has missed the Jazz last nine games after re-aggravating a hamstring in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 26.
The veteran guard originally injured his hamstring against the Charlotte Hornets in early February which caused him to miss the ensuing six games. After returning to the floor, the Jazz sat Conley on either end of back-to-back games in an effort to preserve the guard through the end of the season.
Mike Conley is questionable for tomorrow’s game (right hamstring tightness).
Juwan Morgan is questionable (right heel soreness).
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) May 13, 2021
The Jazz own a 1.5 game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the West and have just two games remaining. The team needs any combination of two wins, or two Suns losses to clinch the top spot in the West and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Conley would be a significant boost to a Jazz roster that has lost consecutive games to the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers while showing fatigue in the backcourt.
Along with Conley, All-Star Donovan Mitchell has missed the Jazz last 14 games as he recovers from a severe ankle sprain. Earlier in the week, the Jazz ruled Mitchell out of the remaining regular-season games.
In late April, Conley offered an update to ESPN on his hamstring injury that implied the Jazz were simply trying to be as cautious as possible before the postseason begins.
Nice to know that even though his short film WON AN OSCAR, @MCONLEY10 isn't too fancy now to be on The Jump🤣 Fun conversation on the top-seeded Jazz, his long overdue All-Star selection and his Grit'n'Grind memories: pic.twitter.com/bJfqnRkxOi
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 29, 2021
“It’s not as bad as people think at all,” Conley said. “A lot of it is just trying to make sure that I’m 100 percent and not going out there at 85-80 percent and have an opportunity to re-aggravate something.”
Conley is averaging 16.4 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds for the Jazz this season.
