CONLEY FUELS JAZZ IN RETURN
For four long days, Mike Conley was confined to his hotel in quarantine after returning to the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.
He wasn’t about to be contained on the court.
Conley made a career playoff-high seven three-pointers and scored 27 points in his return to help the Jazz rout the Nuggets 124-87 on Friday for a 2-1 lead in the firstround series.
‘‘I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: He’s a terrific player,’’ Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. ‘‘I know how glad our guys were to see him back.’’
Conley left the NBA bubble for the birth of his son, returned late Monday and went through a four-day isolation that ended Friday. He said he got about 30 minutes of outside activity a day to work on his game.
There wasn’t a hint of rust as he made his series debut. He was 7-for-8 from threepoint range and had four assists.
‘‘Being on that court was all I was thinking about, other than my family,’’ Conley said. ‘‘Thankful to be back and looking forward to the rest of the series.’’
Rudy Gobert added a career playoff-high 24 points and 14 rebounds and Donovan Mitchell 20 points for the Jazz. Nikola Jokic scored 15 points to lead the Nuggets, who shot 37.5% from the field.
CLIPPERS 130, MAVERICKS 122
Kawhi Leonard led seven players in double figures with 36 points, and the Clippers shot 52.2% from the field on the way to topping the Mavericks and taking a 2-1 lead in their first-round series.
The loss might prove to be bigger than merely one game for the Mavericks. Star guard Luka Doncic left with a sprained left ankle in the third quarter — hopping to the locker room on one leg — before trying to return to start the fourth. He left for good after three minutes, finishing with a tripledouble (13 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists).
Kristaps Porzingis led the Mavericks with 34 points and 13 rebounds, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry scored 22 each.
CELTICS 102, 76ERS 94
Kemba Walker scored 24 points, and the Celtics closed the game with a 10-0 run to defeat the 76ers 102-94 for a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
Jaylen Brown added 21 points and Jayson Tatum 15 for the Celtics. Joel Embiid had 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the 76ers, who shot a miserable 29.5% from the field.
RAPTORS 117, NETS 92
Pascal Siakam scored 26 points, Fred VanVleet made six three-pointers on his way to 22 points and Serge Ibaka added 20 points and 13 rebounds as the Raptors cruised past the Nets to open a 3-0 lead in their first-round series. Tyler Johnson led the Nets with 23 points. ✶