Is Mike Conley playing tonight against the LA Clippers in Game 4 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs Round 2?
NBA veteran and 2021 All-Star Mike Conley has missed all three of the Utah Jazz’s matches against the LA Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals. Conley suffered a right hamstring strain during Utah Jazz’s game 5 of the NBA playoffs round 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Utah Jazz had won six straight playoff matches since losing game 1 against the Grizzlies. That was thanks to Donovan Mitchell’s exploits and an increased scoring rate through the roster.
However, the LA Clippers fought back after losing the first two matches of the series. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for 65 points as the former also produced 12 rebounds to power the Clippers to victory in game 3. With the series now poised at 2-1, Utah Jazz fans will want to see Mike Conley feature in the lineup as soon as possible.
Will Mike Conley feature tonight against the LA Clippers?
Up until now, Mike Conley has been listed as “questionable” for every game of the series, only to be ruled out on the day of the games. For game 4, Conley has again been listed as “questionable,” but is expected to feature to some extent.
Mike Conley himself was under the impression that he would be ready to play in game 1. But a niggling hamstring injury has meant the point-guard has not featured so far, with Donovan Mitchell’s form nullifying the effect his absence.
Head coach Quinn Snyder said the following about Mike Conley’s absence before game 3,
“It has nothing to do with us feeling any form of accomplishment having won a couple games. Mike’s not ready to go yet and he’s working hard every day to try to get back. We know how difficult the series is going to be and when Mike’s ready, he’ll be back.”
Donovan Mitchell also said before game 3 that the Utah Jazz are “anxious” to get Conley back. Mike Conley himself has been optimistic about him featuring in the series at some point,
"My mindset is, I'm going to be ready to play. That's kind of the visual I put in front of myself, “I'm going to be ready.” But at the same time, we're going to see what happens in the next few days and be smart about how we approach it going into this next series."
Now that the LA Clippers have responded in game 3 with an intense performance, the Jazz will be looking to get Conley back as soon as possible. He is expected to be ready for game 4, with the head-coach suggesting that they are waiting for Conley to be “ready to return.” Conley has averaged 16.2 points, six assists and 1.4 steals so far this season.