Mike Conley Scores 26 for Utah Jazz in Return to NBA Bubble

Former Ohio State point guard Mike Conley showed no rust Sunday night in his public return to the NBA bubble, helping the Utah Jazz emerge with a very entertaining 129-127 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Conley impressively scored 26 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting from the field, burying four attempts from behind the arc and making all six free throws. He also added four assists and two steals while back in the starting lineup, as the Jazz took a 3-1 series lead in the first round of the playoffs.

An NBA veteran, Conley recently left the league’s Orlando bubble at Disney World to fly back home to Columbus, Ohio for the birth of his second son, Elijah. He and his wife, Mary, now have two children.

Conley returned to Orlando this past Tuesday and was forced to clear a four-day quarantine in order to rejoin his teammates. The 32-year old was acquired as part of a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies last summer and has averaged 14.4 points this season.

While at Ohio State, Conley earned third team All-American honors in leading OSU to the Final Four. He, high school teammate Greg Oden and others spearheaded the Buckeyes to 35-4 record and appearance in the national championship game.

While Conley’s 26 points was a big factor, the game will likely be remembered for the outstanding dual between Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray. Both standouts dropped 50 points throughout the high-paced battle.

Utah, the No. 6 seed, will look to eliminated the third-seeded Nuggets come Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m.

Stay tuned to BuckeyesNow and all of our social media outlets (@BuckeyesNowSI) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for continued coverage!