8:40pm: Mitchell and Conley are starting Game 6, according to lineups posted by the Clippers’ PR department.
11:05am: With their season on the line in tonight’s Game 6, Jazz point guard Mike Conley is “working toward a return to the lineup,” tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Backcourt partner Donovan Mitchell will be a game-time decision, Woj adds.
Conley has missed the first five games of the series with a strained right hamstring that he suffered in the close-out game against the Grizzlies. He had originally hoped to return for Game 3, but he re-injured the hamstring, which set back his recovery timetable. Conley is coming off his first All-Star season and averaged 16.2 points and 6.0 assists per game during the year.
Mitchell is dealing with a sprained right ankle that forced him to miss the last 16 games of the regular season, along with Utah’s playoff opener. He was in obvious pain during Game 5, shooting just 6-of-19 from the field, and admitted afterward that the ankle is limiting what he can do on the court.
If the Jazz win tonight, they will host Game 7 on Sunday.
Turn out the lights the party’s over.
Mike Conley is one of the most undeserving all-stars in recent memory.
Consider it a career achievement nod then.
With health Conley would be eating up Beverly and containing ReggieJ and Utah would be finishing off Kawhi-less LAC with or without Mitchell.
He was one of the best players in the league in the first half
Did you watch how well he played in the first round against an underrated team in the Grizzlies? He was phenomenal with his play making and decision making. Frizz are good at D as well
Must be a Grizzlies fan. Never realized his potential until he went to Utah.
@Wally: I disagree. He had plenty of seasons in Memphis that were as good or better than this season in Utah.
Yet an egregious snub for at least a few years earlier in his career
Not having Mike Conley the entire series in this matchup is a big deal. I thought he might only miss a couple of games, which they could deal with. They got rid of Shaq Harrison in the middle of the season, and I questioned what might happen if Conley got hurt. They need Conley’s defense against guys like Reggie Jackson b/c they’re struggling guarding the guard spot
I also question why Utah hasnt used Ilyasova in this series b/c they could use him in this matchup, especially with the Clippers going smaller, and them needing floor spacing.
Not having Kawhi could theoretically low key help, just b/c it helps Paul George, Marcus Morris, and a couple of others. Kawhi and Paul George are better without each other, with the way the Clippers play, although obviouslyKawhi is great regardless. Terrence Mann matches up well as a defender against Utahs guards, which is a really big deal for the Clippers, while missing Ibaka.
Its interesting b/c the Clippers were the one iffy matchup I wasnt so sure about for Phoenix, but I didnt think they would play each other, b/c I thought Utah would beat the Clippers in 6. Without Kawhi and Ibaka, I probably would still stick with Phoenix, if they’re healthy, but it is an interesting possibility. I had Phoenix in 7 over Utah, if it comes to that, but health might be a factor there too, if Utah still comes back here, and they’re still dealing with limited or no Mike Conley/Donovan Mitchell
I’ll literally LOL if the WCF this year is between the Clippers w/o Kawhi and the Suns w/o CP3 (for at least part of the series).
I’m usually not a big fan putting an asterisk next to championships, but this year might end up being an exception.
Throw in Brooklyn without Harden and Irving (which is possible) versus the Hawks and I’ll join you in laughing. Hawks have a shot to slide into the Finals this year, which is wild. And if they made it that far and faced the Clippers without Kawhi or the Suns without CP3, they could have an outside shot of winning everything.
Crazy how Harden plays through a hamstring and Conley is content to sit and watch his team lose a Playoff series…
And people criticize Harden’s toughness? Smh