Tag: mike conley

Jazz show life but fall to Lakers, 116-108

Monday night on national TV, the Jazz faced the Lakers, and hung around, but Anthony Davis’ dominance was too much to handle. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

For exactly 30 minutes on Monday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at Disney World, the Utah Jazz looked like a completely different team from the one that was altogether befuddled in a 16-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last Saturday.

The new week brought a new Jazz squad, as they were aggressive in getting into the lane, moving the ball and they caught some fire from distance in the second quarter after an 0-for-9 start in the first.

But then suddenly at the midway point of the third quarter, the wheels came off. Up by four at 71-67, Utah surrendered a 14-0 run in less than five minutes, and the new double-digit deficit was too much to overcome in an eventual 116-108 loss.

The defeat moved the Jazz to 42-25 overall on the season and 1-2 during the NBA’s restart in Orlando.

And the Salt Lake Tribune:

What are the Jazz playing for here, exactly?

After tonight’s loss, they’re now in fifth, half a game below the Houston Rockets for the four seed. That means they’d play the Rockets again in the playoffs in the first round, if things started today.

Normally, you’d say that they’re playing for home court positioning. But everyone’s playing in Orlando this year, and I have a hard time believing that the virtual fans are making the Jazz play better or worse. Sorry, virtual fans. The Jazz’s home-court advantage is usually one of the best — if not the best — in the NBA, but it simply won’t matter this year.

So given that, the only reason the Jazz are playing right now is to

A) avoid the seventh seed, which would mean playing the Clippers in the first round

B) figure things out so that they can play well in the playoffs while staying healthy

C) find the best matchup they can in the first round and throughout the playoffs

And the OC Register:

The Lakers (51-15) are a better team when Davis is a focal point. And while LeBron James (22 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) got in on the action, particularly in the fourth quarter, it was no coincidence that Davis’ most assertive game so far in the restart was also the Lakers’ most convincing win.

The added emphasis on getting Davis rolling early was part coaching script, part teammates feeding him, and part Davis himself, feeling unsatisfied after his 14-point effort two nights before.

“I have to play better basketball than I did to help the team win,” Davis said. “Even though I was making the right plays, I still have to be aggressive. I didn’t like the way I performed. … So it was a collective effort to come out more aggressive.”

In the win for the Lakers, Davis shot 13/28 for 42 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals, while LeBron James shot 9/16 for 22 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

In the loss, Donovan Mitchell shot 9/22 plus 11/12 free throws for 33 points, while Mike Conley hit 8/17 shots for 24 points and eight assists. But 21 turnovers and just 10 combined points from their starting forwards made it tough for Utah.

A look at Utah Jazz lineup combinations in first NBA scrimmage

In NBA scrimmage action Thursday, the Suns beat the Jazz, 101-88. Donovan Mitchell got buckets in the loss, hitting 5-of-8 FG, including 3-of-4 three-pointers, for 17 points. It was the first game for either team in a long time. Here’s the Deseret News reporting on the various lineups the Jazz played around with:

The Jazz started the game with the expected unit of Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Royce O’Neale and Joe Ingles.

From there, more of the expected with Jordan Clarkson and Georges Niang being the first subs to enter the game and later Tony Bradley giving Gobert some rest. But, when O’Neale committed his fourth foul in the second quarter, Jazz coach Quin Snyder had to zag a little and go with a smaller lineup.

Mitchell, Conley, Clarkson, Ingles and Gobert closed out the first half. That lineup with Bojan Bogdanovic in place of Clarkson is a familiar one for the Jazz, playing a total of 236 minutes together during the regular season. With Clarkson instead of Bogdanovic, Thursday was the first time the group had played in a game together.

The Jazz will be without one key player for the remainder of the season: Bojan Bogdanovic, who had season-ending wrist surgery a few months ago.

Jazz guard Mike Conley dealing with left hamstring injury

Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley was evaluated by the team’s medical staff on Wednesday and the following was determined:

Conley reinjured his left hamstring during Utah’s game against Orlando in Salt Lake City last night. He will be reevaluated during the team’s upcoming road trip. Any further updates will be provided when necessary.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Conley missed five games after experiencing hamstring tightness, which was frustrating for the Jazz point guard. “That’s why they’re like, ‘Be patient, be patient, don’t push it.’ And I’m just trying to push it every day,” Conley said before his return.”

Conley has appeared in 22 games (all starts) in his first season with Utah, averaging 13.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per contest.

 

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Rough stretch lately for the Jazz

The Jazz are a modest 13-10 this season. They’re only outscoring opponents by 0.5 points per game. Will they turn things up a notch anytime soon?

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune:

After losing three in a row and five of six against some of the league’s top teams — such as the Bucks, Pacers, Raptors, Sixers, and Lakers — the Utah Jazz got back on the winning track Saturday against the struggling Grizzlies.

Thing is, Utah’s upcoming schedule is fairly loaded with struggling teams, providing the Jazz a chance to continue to sort out some of their lingering issues while simultaneously putting some notches in the win column.

Of their 10 remaining games in December, only two — in Miami against the Heat on Dec. 23, and in Los Angeles vs. the Clippers on Dec. 28 — are against teams with winning records at the moment.

New point guard Mike Conley hasn’t had the effect the Jazz hoped for so far. He’s averaging 13.9 points and 4.6 assists, shooting just 36.9% from the field.

As a team, they’ve been above average in defense, but disappointing on offense. The coming weeks will tell more about just how seriously they should be taken as a playoff contender. There is much work to be done.

Mike Conley out for remainder of season

 

 

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The Memphis Grizzlies are just 17-31 but are playing decent basketball lately, winning five of their last 10 games. But their journey this season will continue without point guard Mike Conley, who won’t play again until 2017-18.

The Grizzlies announced today that Conley will undergo surgery to smooth a small bone protrusion in his left heel that continues to cause pain and soreness. The team says they expect he’ll a full recovery prior to 2018-19 training camp.

Other Grizzlies Injury News

Chandler Parsons has made progress this week in alleviating soreness in his right knee after overcoming an illness that temporarily slowed his recovery. He remains day-to-day.

JaMychal Green continues to recover from a right ankle sprain and is expected to return within the next week.

James Ennis III continues to recover from a right calf strain and is expected to return within the next week.

Mike Conley injury update

Mike Conley injury update

The Memphis Grizzlies at 9-21 have the third worst record in the NBA through Monday’s games, and they’ll continue to be without their floor leader for the near future.

The team said Monday that point guard Mike Conley is still participating in therapy and treatment to alleviate soreness in his left heel, as he makes progress towards returning to on-court activities.

The team says the next Conley injury status update will be in around two weeks.

Memphis is led in scoring this season by center Marc Gasol (19.1 ppg) and shooting guard Tyreke Evans (18.6 ppg). Conley is third at 17.1 ppg. No one else on the team averages double-digit points per game.

Grizzlies re-sign Mike Conley

Grizzlies re-sign Mike Conley

The Grizzlies have re-signed point guard Mike Conley to a multi-year contract.

The agreement came together early in free agency but the signing just became official today.

The deal is reportedly a $153 million dollar contract, over five years.

The Grizz are paying a ton of money in this. Even by new cap standards. Conley is a very good point guard, sometimes a star, but not a dominant player. But they obviously felt it was better to pay big than to lose him and get nothing in return.

Selected by the Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Conley (6-1, 175) has spent all of his nine NBA seasons with Memphis. The 28-year-old has appeared in 637 regular season games (608 starts) and holds career averages of 13.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.51 steals in 32.5 minutes while shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from three-point range and 80.6 percent from the free throw line. Last season, Conley posted averages of 15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.20 steals in 31.4 minutes while shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three-point range and 83.4 percent from the free throw line.

In the Grizzlies’ career record books, Conley ranks first in games played (637), minutes played (20,693), assists (3,578) and steals (963); and second in points (8,635) and three-point field goals made (736) and attempted (1,972).

Conley has led Memphis to six of the franchise’s nine trips to the NBA Playoffs, including its first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance in 2012-13, and the Grizzlies’ current run of six consecutive postseason berths is the third-longest active streak in the league. He has competed in 50 career playoff games (all starts) and has averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.42 steals in 37.4 minutes. Among his most memorable postseason moments, he led all scorers with 22 points in a road win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals in his return from a serious facial injury sustained in the first round, which required surgery and forced him to play with a protective mask through the remainder of the playoffs.

Conley has accumulated several accolades for his work both on and off the court during his career. Conley earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2012-13 after leading all NBA players and setting a Grizzlies single-season franchise record with 174 steals. Most recently, he was the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy as the winner of the 2015-16 NBA Sportsmanship Award, his second career honor (2013-14), and joined Grant Hill (three times) and Jason Kidd (twice) as the only multiple winners since the award’s inception in 1995-96. He also was a finalist for the 2015-16 Season-long NBA Cares Community Assist Award after winning the monthly award in January 2016 for his Jr. NBA work in the Memphis community, ongoing fundraising efforts for Methodist Healthcare Foundation, namely the Methodist Sickle Cell Center, and the advent of his signature Shoe Up! with Mike Conley program for youth.

Conley was drafted by Memphis following his freshman season at The Ohio State University, where he was named First Team All-Big Ten by the media and led the Buckeyes to the 2007 NCAA National Championship Game. Conley remains a supporter of Ohio State, donating $500,000 to the university’s men’s and women’s basketball programs in 2013. The school since has renamed its basketball weight room the Mike Conley Jr. Strength and Conditioning Room.

Growing up in Indianapolis, Ind., Conley was named a 2006 McDonald’s All-American as a senior at Lawrence North High School, where he teamed with 2007 No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Greg Oden to lead the team to three straight state championships and an overall record of 103-7 in his four years as the starting point guard.

Mike Conley out 3-4 weeks with Achilles tendonitis

Mike Conley out 3-4 weeks with Achilles tendonitis

After missing the last three games with left foot soreness, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley received an additional examination yesterday, which revealed Achilles tendonitis. Conley will remain out and will be re-evaluated in 3 to 4 weeks.

Conley has appeared in 56 games (all starts) this season for the Grizzlies and averaged 15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, a team-high 6.1 assists and 1.20 steals in 31.4 minutes. He’s a crucial part of the team. This injury is a big blow to the squad.

Mike Conley not mad at Draymond Green

Mike Conley not mad at Draymond Green

Look. In games, players fall. And when that player has the ball, sometimes another player tries to grab it. These things happen. Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting on Grizzlies guard Mike Conley and Warriors forward Draymond Green:

Mike Conley not mad at Draymond Green

In the days following Mike Conley’s Game 2 brush with Warriors’ power forward Draymond Green, the Grizzlies’ point guard has gone from “no comment” to “it is what it is” to forming an opinion.

“At the end of the day, I think Draymond Green is a phenomenal player,” Conley said before Friday’s practice. “He’s a competitor. In the heat of the game, things happen. Guys get hit. Guys bring a lot of passion to the game. I have no opinion other than that. I think it was just basketball.”

Conley was driving through the lane when he got tied up by Green and Klay Thompson midway through the second quarter. He recovered the ball with 4:58 remaining and called a timeout while lying on his back with the ball near his chin. Green reached in to try to grab the ball and bumped Conley in a mask designed to protect surgically repaired facial fractures.

Officials reviewed the play as a potential “hostile act” and didn’t call a foul, but that hasn’t changed the opinion of the Grizzlies’ fans. Green said he’s gotten Twitter hate and warnings about coming to Memphis.