Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies buzz: Mike Conley booed in return to FedEx Forum
Conley #Conley
© John Amis Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) tries to get past the defense of Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, May 29, 2021, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
At one point of the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s Game 3 between the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies, the latter led by two. At that point, the Jazz decided they’d had enough.
A championship-caliber 12-0 run by the Jazz turned the tide, helping to deliver a 121-111 win at FedEx Forum. The win gives the Jazz a 2-1 series lead, plus home-court advantage back with Game 4 scheduled for Monday back at FedEx.
There was plenty of social media takes throughout the game.
The Grizzlies made it a game in the fourth quarter
Down double digits in the second half, the Grizzlies tied the game at 98 inside 8:00 on Grayson Allen’s left-wing 3-pointer, which prompted a Quin Snyder timeout.
A Vivint Arena watch party
Vivint Arena is hosting a watch party for Game 3, and a decent-sized crowd showed up. According to Jazz officials, roughly 4,700 people came to watch the road game on the arena Jumbotron. Vivint has a basketball capacity of 18,306.
Dillon Brooks playing dirty?
Late in the second quarter, after Mike Conley hit a 3-pointer in his face, Dillon Brooks appeared to hit Conley in the back down the other end of the floor as Conley defended him. The first angle of the incident being circulated on Twitter was inconclusive. A second angle of the play (see the last tweet in this section) offers more context, and shows things getting chippy both ways.
Taylor Jenkins gets T’d up
With 5:38 to play in the second quarter, Donovan Mitchell was fouled on a 3-point attempt by Dillon Brooks, who appeared to clip Mitchell with his hip on the way up. The crowd didn’t like the call, nor did Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, who argued to the point of picking up a technical foul.
Royce O’Neal leads 3-point barrage
The No. 1 team in the NBA during the regular season in terms of taking and making 3-pointers, the Jazz looked the part, going 7 for 15 from deep in the first quarter. Royce O’Neal took advantage of the Grizzlies’ decision to sink off on pick-and-rolls as he found himself wide open. O’Neal was 3 for 5 from deep in the first quarter.
Conley returns to Memphis to mixed reaction
During interdiction of the starting lineups, Jazz point guard Mike Conley received both cheers and boos from the crowd at FedEx Forum. Conley spent the first 12 seasons of his career in Memphis, which included seven playoff appearances, before being traded to the Jazz in July 2019.