SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz will once again face the Los Angeles Clippers without the services of guard Mike Conley, who said missing games is "very frustrating" because the team was playing so well before the injury.
READ: Kawhi Leonard to miss Game 5 against Jazz
For the fifth straight game, Conley will not be active due to a right hamstring injury. Utah and the Clippers face off in Game 5 Wednesday at Vivint Arena with their series tied up at 2-2.
The All-Star has not played in the Western Conference Semifinals after suffering the injury in the final game of Utah's first round series against Memphis.
Speaking to the media Wednesday morning, Conley said he initially did not believe the injury was as serious as it turned out to be. He said he had a "small setback" while attempting to be ready for the first games of the series vs. Los Angeles.
"Obviously, I would play if I could and there's no question about that," said Conley. "But the progress we're making now is really good and, you know, it's just a little delayed.
When asked if there was a timetable for his return, Conley said a comeback during the current series is possible.
"I've played through a lot of things in my career, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again and I would love to be out there every one of these games, but going forward there's a balance of doing what's right for our team and thinking about our goals going forward, and if we can figure out a way to get a win here and there and give me a couple of more days to, hopefully, feel a little bit better going forward, this series is still very much in play," said Conley.
The news of Conley's status came hours after it was announced Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will also miss Game 5 with a knee injury, and possibly the rest of the series. Los Angeles officials said there is no timetable for the return of Leonard, who injured his knee near the end of Game 4.
