NBA playoffs: Back from quarantine, Mike Conley helps Jazz rout Nuggets

ORLANDO, Fla. â€”  Mike Conley made a career playoff-high seven three-pointers and scored 27 points in his return from quarantine, helping the Utah Jazz rout the Denver Nuggets 124-87 on Friday for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

The 37-point loss tied the third worst in Denver’s playoff history. The record is 44 against the Lakers on May 22, 1985.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: He’s a terrific player,� Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “I know how glad our guys were to see him back.�

Conley left the NBA bubble for the birth of his son and returned Monday night. He went through a four-day separation that ended Friday.

While in isolation, Conley said he got about 30 minutes of outside activity a day to work on his game.

There wasn’t a hint of rust as he made his series debut. He was seven for eight from three-point range and had four assists.

“Being on that court was all I was thinking about other than my family,� Conley said. “Thankful to be back and looking forward to the rest of the series.�

Rudy Gobert had a career playoff-high 24 points courtesy of numerous easy dunks and layups. He also had 14 rebounds.

Donovan Mitchell was held “in check� — as much as he can be — with 20 points. He had a Jazz playoff-record 57 in Game 1 and 30 in Game 2.

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Aug. 21, 2020

It’s the second straight lopsided win for the Jazz in the series after dropping Game 1 in overtime.

Nikola Jokic led Denver with 15 points. The Nuggets had 17 turnovers and shot 37.5% from the field.

Celtics 102, 76ers 94: Kemba Walker scored 24 points, and Boston closed with a 10-0 run to beat Philadelphia for a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Jaylen Brown scored 21 points and Jason Tatum added 15 for the Celtics.

Joel Embiid had 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the 76ers. They shot 29.5% from the field.

Raptors 117, Nets 92: Pascal Siakam scored 26 points, and Toronto defeated Brooklyn to take the first 3-0 lead in a playoff series in franchise history.

The defending champions now can eliminate the patchwork Nets on Sunday in the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Fred VanVleet scored 22 points, shooting six for 10 from three-point range. Reserve Serge Ibaka added 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Tyler Johnson led the Nets with 23 points. Caris LeVert scored 15.