Mike Conley has missed the first four games of the second-round series between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers due to a mild right hamstring strain, and according to the team, his status for Game 5 remains uncertain. The Jazz are currently listing Conley as questionable for the pivotal contest Wednesday.
The Jazz won the first two games of their series against the Clippers, but lost the next two in Los Angeles. In NBA history, 183 postseason series have been tied 2-2 after four games. The team that wins Game 5 has a record of 149-34 in the series overall, giving the winner an 81.4 percent rate of winning the series. The Jazz will host Game 5 in Salt Lake City, but Conley has been sorely missed. Without him, Donovan Mitchell has had to take on the bulk of the ball-handling load for Utah. To his credit, he has excelled despite nursing an ankle injury of his own. Mitchell is averaging 37.3 points per game in the series, but he recognizes that he might have to continue playing at that level to keep the Jazz alive.
"We're anxious to get him back. But while he's not, we've got to be able to do what we do, because at the end of the day, the Clippers don't care," Mitchell told reporters after Game 3. "So whenever he comes back and he's ready to go, we'll be ready for him because we miss that experience."
The Jazz have not offered a specific timeline on Conley's return, with coach Quin Snyder saying that "when Mike's ready, he'll be back." Conley averaged 20 points and 10.3 assists in the first four games of the postseason against Memphis, but aggravated that hamstring in the Game 5 series clincher against the Grizzlies. He missed nine games at the end of the regular season with that same injury. Hamstring injuries have recurred in both conferences this postseason. James Harden has missed most of Brooklyn's second-round battle with Milwaukee due to a hamstring issue after dealing with an injury there in the regular season.
The Clippers have seized the momentum of this series over the past two games in Los Angeles, and they've already proven that they can overcome a 2-0 deficit as they did so in the first round against Dallas. Conley returning would give the Jazz a major boost against one of the NBA's most resilient teams.