Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley had facial surgery on Monday in Memphis after he was injured during Game 3 of the playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Conley was inadvertently elbowed in the face by Portland’s CJ McCollum on Saturday night. He was briefly hospitalized before returning to Memphis on Sunday.
The team previously announced that Conley would not play in Monday night’s Game 4. The Grizzlies hold a 3-0 lead in the series.
Beno Udrih, who sat out Game 3 with a sprained right ankle, was expected to start in Conley’s place.
The team did not provide additional details about Conley’s surgery or when he might return to the team. In his eighth NBA season, Conley was averaging 16 points in the series against the Blazers.
“I’m not worried about Mike. Mike is a fighter. He’ll be back in no time,” Udrih said after practice on Sunday.
Conley had 14 points before he was injured in Saturday night’s 115-109 victory to take a 3-0 series lead, a first for the Grizzlies in the playoffs.
Later that night he posted to Twitter: “Proud of my guys for stepping up! Huge win tonight. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. I will be fine!”
Memphis has never swept a playoff series. Should they beat the Blazers, they’ll move on the face the Golden State Warriors in the next round.
Udrih, who had 20 points in the opener, hurt the ankle in the first half of Game 2, but returned in the third quarter and finished with 10 points. He warmed up Saturday night but ultimately didn’t play.
“It was just sore, and I didn’t have the push-off that I wanted, especially lateral movement. That actually gave me a lot of problems,” Udrih said. “With another day of rest, it’s improved a lot, so I’m really happy.”
The Grizzlies will also turn to second-year guard Nick Calathes, who finished Game 3 with 13 points.
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