After returning to campus after the birth of his son, Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley Jr. is clearing quarantine Friday morning and will be in the lineup for Game 3 of the Western Conference first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, sources told ESPN.
Conley is expected to return as a starter with the series tied 1-1.
He missed Games 1 and 2 after being away for the birth of his son, Elijah Michael, in Ohio on Monday. He returned to the Walt Disney World Resort late Monday night and was cleared for a release on late Friday morning after meeting the league’s testing protocols for the coronavirus, sources said.
The Jazz withstood Conley’s absence, winning Game 2 in a blowout Wednesday after losing Game 1 in overtime.
Utah lost its second-leading scorer, Bojan Bogdanovic, to hand surgery prior to the restart in Orlando.
Conley played some of his best basketball of the season in the seeding games for the Jazz, averaging 18 points, five assists and three rebounds. Conley was a major acquisition via trade for the Jazz in the offseason, coming over from the Memphis Grizzlies.
