Advancing to the second round in five games over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Utah Jazz face an anxious wait on the injury front
Starting point guard Mike Conley Jr. has been diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain, with his status to be updated prior to Game 1 of the conference semifinals.
Playing just 11 minutes in Game 5 against Memphis, Conley exited during the second quarter with hamstring tightness. Subsequent scans revealed the strain, with the All-Star's status now a talking point leading into a series against either the Dallas Mavericks or LA Clippers.
During Game 5 between the Jazz and Grizzlies last night, Mike Conley left in the second quarter after experiencing right hamstring soreness. This morning an MRI revealed a mild right hamstring strain. He will be reevaluated prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 3, 2021
“It’s playoffs so my mindset is I’ll be ready to play,” Conley told reporters after the game. “We’re gonna just see what happens in next few days and be smart about how we approach it going into this next series.”
wake up glad mike conley is on your team.
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 1, 2021
go to sleep glad mike conley is on your team. pic.twitter.com/N06jEedYGA
Hamstring issues have plagued Conley in recent seasons, with the veteran a vital cog in the Utah offence, averaging 16.2 points and 6.0 assists across 51 appearances in 2020-21.
“It’s something that I’ve worked tirelessly, night and day on. It’s never been like a true hamstring pull where it just knocks you out, it’s just a small tweak that’s just enough to cause discomfort and worry some folks. That’s the frustrating part.”
In order to give Conley maximum time to recover, the Jazz will be hoping the Dallas-LA matchup enters a Game 7, handing their star an extra couple of days recovery.
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