Jazz PG Mike Conley confident he'll play in second round despite hamstring soreness

Jazz guard Mike Conley exited Game 5 of Utah’s series against the Grizzlies due to right hamstring soreness after playing just 12 minutes. Despite being frustrated by the setback, he feels confident he’ll be back in round two, whether against the Clippers or Mavericks, writes Sarah Todd of the Deseret News.

“It’s playoffs, so my mindset is I’ll be ready to play,” Conley said. “We’re gonna just see what happens in next few days and be smart about how we approach it going into this next series.”

Conley bounced back from a rocky first season in Utah, in which he was dealing with a similar hamstring ailment, and averaged 20 points and over 10 assists per game in the first four games of the series. With at least four days between the end of the Grizzlies series and the start of round two, the Jazz can afford to be cautious.

The veteran point guard was scheduled to undergo an MRI Thursday morning, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

Here’s more on the Jazz:

• When Donovan Mitchell went down with an ankle injury on April 16, he channeled his frustration by diving back into preparing for the playoffs in the same way he did during the Orlando bubble from last year, reports ESPN’s Jackie McMullan. One person who was crucial to his preparations for this year’s playoffs was new minority owner Dwyane Wade, who has served as a mentor figure for Mitchell for years. “You are trying to attack from so many different angles, but you can attack it from one angle if you are patient,” Wade counseled.
• Rudy Gobert sat down with Shams Charania of Stadium to discuss being a No. 1 seed, championship expectations and playing with Mitchell. “Every year we had to earn, and earn, and earn the respect as a team, and earn every single win, and you know, we’re still going to have to earn this championship and you know, the story will be amazing,” Gobert said.
• The Jazz announced Thursday morning that they’ll increase attendance at Vivint Arena to its full 18,306 person capacity for round two of the playoffs, the largest NBA crowd of any game this season, writes Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News. The arena will limit some lower-bowl attendance around the team benches but will make up for it with increased standing room only capacity. Masks will still be mandatory.