Mike Conley is key to what Memphis does — he can hit threes, he is a good floor general, and he’s a fantastic perimeter defender. The Grizzlies were +17.7 points per 100 possessions when he’s been on the court in the first two games of the playoffs. That despite him battling a foot injury that caused him to miss games at the end of the season (one he’s not fully recovered from).
In the third game, he took an inadvertent elbow to the face from C.J. McCollum as he leaned in to go for a steal (while McCollum stumbled) that knocked him out of the game.
He left the game in the third quarter after it happened, went to the locker room, then not long after was taken to a local medical facility for further evaluation, the team announced. Reports from the arena had Conley with a swollen eye.
There has not yet been an update on his injury.
Conley had 14 points and four assists when he got injured.
The Grizzlies were without Beno Udrih, their backup point guard, due to injury. The ball fell to the hands of Nick Calathes, who played a solid game and helped the Grizzlies hang on for the 115-109 win. Memphis is now up 3-0 in the series and seems destined to advance, with or without Conley.
They will need Conley to have any hope in the next round against Stephen Curry and Golden State (which has advanced after sweeping the Pelicans).