Advertisement

Mike Conley back in NBA bubble after birth of son, could return for Game 3

Just days after leaving for the birth of his son, Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley is back inside the NBA bubble and is quarantining, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Conley returned to the bubble at Walt Disney World on Monday night. He will have to quarantine for at least four days due to the NBA’s COVID-19 safety protocol, however that is expected to end on Friday, according to the Associated Press — meaning he could be back on the court for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.

Conley missed Jazz’s thrilling OT opener

Conley was always going to leave the bubble for the birth of his son, which he announced on Sunday afternoon.

Because of that, however, he missed out on the Jazz’s thrilling playoff opener on Monday.

The Jazz fell to the Nuggets 135-125 in overtime, though were leading the contest with less than two minutes left in regulation. Yet after a rare 8-second violation from Donovan Mitchell — who put up 57 points in the contest, the third-most scored in a playoff game in league history — and an 18-point scoring burst from Jamal Murray, the Nuggets pushed ahead to grab the 10-point win.

Conley was averaging 14.4 points and 4.4 assists per game this season, his 13th in the league, and was putting up 18 points and five assists in the bubble with the Jazz — where he landed after a trade with Memphis last summer. Game 2 of the series will take place on Wednesday afternoon.

Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley
Jazz guard Mike Conley is expected to be released from quarantine on Friday, and could return for Game 3 of their series against the Nuggets. (Ashley Landis - Pool/Getty Images)

More from Yahoo Sports: