Utah @ Memphis preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 8, 2019 ) Utah 104, Memphis 114

Mike Conley promises to experience an emotional return to Memphis when the Utah Jazz visit the Grizzlies on Friday night. Conley spent 12 seasons with Memphis after being the fourth overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft and he is the franchise leader in games played (788), points (11,733) and assists (4,509).

The rebuilding Grizzlies traded Conley to Jazz in the offseason and the 32-year-old is starting to get familiar with his new surroundings. "As the season's gone on, the more games we've played, the more I'm getting comfortable in the system," Conley told reporters. "I'm still learning but we're going in the right direction. ... I'm just trying to speed up the learning curve of the whole thing. I'm understanding where I can be effective and help everybody be their best selves." While the Jazz have won four straight games, the Grizzlies are fresh off back-to-back road wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets to follow a 2-7 start. Rookie point guard Ja Morant, the No. 2 overall pick chosen to replace Conley, had 23 points and 11 assists and converted the winning layup with 0.7 seconds left as Memphis notched a 119-117 win over the Hornets on Wednesday night.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), FS Southeast (Memphis)

ABOUT THE JAZZ (8-3): Conley is meshing well with star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell and the latter scored 30 points as Utah recorded a 119-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. The Jazz were sputtering during the first half and trailed by 15 at intermission before outscoring Brooklyn 66-46 in the second half. "I think the biggest thing was being honest with ourselves and figuring out, as a group, why we were playing the way we were playing," Utah coach Quin Snyder told reporters afterward. "These guys have a lot of character. I think it's a competitive group. ... There was no way we were going to shut down, but the resolve they showed and to carry it forward, it was a really good win."

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (4-7): The 20-year-old Morant posted his first career double-double against Charlotte and made 10-of-15 shots after being 5-of-25 over the previous two games. The former Murray State star is averaging 18.3 points and 5.8 assists in 10 appearances and he knows the matchup with Conley is a highly anticipated event among Memphis fans and throughout the NBA. "I'm looking forward to playing the Utah Jazz," Morant told reporters. "It's a team game. I'm not singling nobody out. I'm just going to go out and do whatever I can with my teammates and come out with a win."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Conley averaged 25.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists while leading the Grizzlies to a 3-1 mark against the Jazz last season.

2. Memphis C Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and 13 rebounds against Charlotte for his seventh double-double of the campaign.

3. Utah C Rudy Gobert registered 18 points and 15 rebounds against the Nets and has six double-doubles this season.

PREDICTION: Jazz 101, Grizzlies 96