Conley’s return gives Jazz 2-1 edge
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — For four long days, Mike Conley was confined to his hotel in quarantine.
He wasn’t about to be contained on the court.
Conley made a career playoffhigh seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points in his return from quarantine, helping the Utah Jazz rout the Denver 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 and returned Monday night. He went through a four-day separation that ended Friday.
While in isolation, Conley 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 of 8 from 3-point 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.”
The 37-point loss tied the thirdworst in Denver’s playoff history. The record is 44 against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 22, 1985.
The Nuggets had 17 turnovers and shot 37.5% from the floor.
Rudy Gobert had a career playoff-high 24 points for the sixth-seeded Jazz courtesy of numerous easy dunks and layups. He also had 14 rebounds.
Donovan Mitchell was held “in check” -- as much as anyone can these days -- with 20 points. He had a Jazz playoff-record 57 in Game 1 and 30 in Game 2.
CLIPPERS 130 MAVERICKS 122
Kawhi Leonard had 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, leading the Los Angeles Clippers over the Dallas for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference firstround series.
Luka Doncic had a tripledouble, but also limped off the court after spraining his left ankle in the third quarter. He returned to play a little of the fourth before checking out for good and going back to the locker room area.
CELTICS 102, 76ERS 94
Kemba Walker scored 24 points and Boston closed with a 10-0 run to beat Philadelphia for a 3-0 lead in the first-round series. Jaylen Brown had 21 points and Jason Tatum added 15 for the Celtics.
Joel Embiid had 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the 76ers. They shot 29.5% from the field.
RAPTORS 117, NETS 92
Pascal Siakam scored 26 points and Toronto beat Brooklyn to take a the first 3-0 lead in franchise history. The defending champs can eliminate the patchwork Nets on Sunday.
Fred VanVleet scored 22 points, shooting 6 of 10 from 3-point range.