Mike Conley is back.
Not really all the way back yet, y’know, but back enough.
The Utah Jazz and their fans will happily take what they can get right now.
After missing nine late-season games due to right hamstring soreness, the veteran point point returned to action Friday night in the Jazz’s penultimate matchup of the regular season, a 109-93 decimation of the thoroughly-tanking Oklahoma City Thunder.
He started at point guard, sending Georges Niang back to a reserve role, and came out aggressive.
Conley’s shot was off a bit, as he made just 2 of 7 overall and 1 of 3 from deep, but he impressed with his activity level.
He frequently attacked the defense of OKC rookie Theo Maledon, and wound up going 5 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 10 points. He also added three assists and two rebounds.
His defense was perhaps a step slow, as Maledon attacked him on several occasions as well, and wound up enticing the first-time All-Star into a pair of fouls.
Conley said after the morning shootaround that he expected to be on a minutes restriction both Friday and in Sunday’s finale in Sacramento, and coach Quin Snyder confirmed pregame that would be the case, though he declined to estimate how many minutes that would be, saying he wanted to maintain flexibility.
Conley wound up playing his normal rotational stretches in the first half — subbing out with Rudy Gobert midway through the first quarter, returning with a couple minutes left to take on the Thunder bench, et cetera.
He wound up playing 16 minutes, 23 seconds in the opening half — and Snyder saw no good reason to tempt fate and send him back out there after the break.
Wise choice, as the Jazz were up 14 at halftime and led by 26 at the end of the third.
“I thought he played well — he did the things he does well,” Snyder said afterward. “You could see him get a little tired out there — he went a minute longer than we planned. … As his conditioning improves, he’ll get in a better rhythm on both ends.”
Snyder described the plan in general for Conley as “a gradual ramp-up, be it the next game and then into the ensuing week, getting ready for the playoffs.”
With the win, the Jazz are now 51-20 on the season, and will secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with either a victory Sunday in Sacramento, or if the Suns lose either of their final two games, both against the Spurs.
Conley said he never considered sitting out the remainder of the regular season if he was healthy enough to play, noting there was value in him getting onto the court for situations and pace that simply can’t be replicated in a practice setting.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/3uJMio9
Post a Comment