Mike Conley Out For Jazz Game Two Vs. Clippers

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz will be without Mike Conley again when they face the Los Angeles Clippers in game two of their Western Conference Semifinal series.

Conley missed game one after reaggravating a prior hamstring injury in the Jazz’s game five close-out victory over the Memphis Grizzlies last week.

The Jazz had listed Conley as questionable on Wednesday before game two but ruled the guard out after shootaround Thursday morning.

The veteran originally suffered the injury in February and has since reaggravated the injury twice in the last three months. Conley missed six games in February, then missed an additional nine games in late April and early May, before missing game one against the Clippers.

Mike Conley is unavailable for the @utahjazz tonight.

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 10, 2021

The guard said he was hopeful to return in time for the second round after eliminating the Grizzlies, but was going to listen to his body and team trainers before making his debut.

“Obviously, it’s the playoffs so my mindset is to be ready to play,” Conley said, “so that’s the visual I’m going to put in front of myself that I’m going to be ready. But at the same time, we’re going just see what happens in the next few days and be smart about how we approach it.”

Joe Ingles started in Conley’s placed and recorded eight points and seven assists but struggled shooting the ball, converting just 3-12 shots from the floor and 1-8 from the three-point line. However, the Jazz need Ingles to keep shooting the ball to space the floor, even if his shots aren’t falling.

“If he’s 2-2, I’d rather have him be 1-9,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “That impacts the game as much as anything and that allows him to do other things.”

wake up glad mike conley is on your team.
go to sleep glad mike conley is on your team. pic.twitter.com/N06jEedYGA

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 1, 2021

Conley had been one of the Jazz’s best players in their opening-round series against Memphis. The guard averaged 20 points, 10.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 44 percent from the floor and 53 percent from the three-point line in the opening-round series.

Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson picked up the scoring slack in Conley’s absence. Mitchell scored a game-high 45 points on 16-30 shooting, while Clarkson added 18 points on six made threes.

The Jazz and Clippers tip-off at 8 pm MT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.