Conley returns from quarantine as Jazz routs Philadelphia
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 playoff-high seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points in his return from quarantine, helping the Utah Jazz rout the Denver Nuggets, 124-87, Friday for a 2-1 lead in this Western Conference 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 third-worst in Denver’s playoff history. The record is 44 May 22, 1985 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets had 17 turnovers and shot 37.5% from the floor. They were also 12 of 38 from 3-point range.
“They’re playing at a different level than us right now and we have to somehow find a way to not only match that but exceed that going into game No. 4,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
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.
“The good thing about tonight is we played our game,” Gobert said. “There’s nothing we did tonight that I haven’t seen this team doing before.”
Other games
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. Boston led 51-49 at the half, with Embiid carrying Philadelphia with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Celtics were able to stay close despite Tatum picking up his third foul near the end of the first quarter and having to sit the entire second quarter. The Celtics entered the game having outscored the 76ers, 87-42, from beyond the 3-point arc, but were just 8 of 31 Friday night. Yet that was better than the 76ers, who were 9 of 39.
Raptors 117, Nets 92: Pascal Siakam scored 26 points as Toronto beat Brooklyn to take the first 3-0 lead in a playoff series in franchise history. The defending champs now can eliminate the patchwork Nets Sunday. Fred VanVleet scored 22 points, shooting 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Reserve Serge Ibaka added 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Kyle Lowry had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Norman Powell added 11 points. Toronto’s 3-0 lead now leaves only Minnesota and the Clippers as the other NBA franchises never to hold a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven or best-of-five playoff series.