Bogdanovic: I Wasn’t Supposed To Be On The Court On The Last Play
Feb 9, 2020, 8:12 PM
(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, Tex. – After struggling the entire game against the Houston Rockets on Sunday, Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic hit the game-winning three-pointer to give the Jazz a 114-113 win in Houston.
Before the buzzer-beater, Bogdanovic had just five points on 2-6 shooting from the field and 1-4 from the three-point line. The Jazz trailed by two points with 1.6 seconds on the clock after Rockets forward P.J. Tucker drilled a three-pointer in the corner on the previous possession to put Houston up by two.
Joe Ingles in-bounded the ball to Bogdanovic about five feet behind the three-point line with both Tucker and James Harden heavily defending him when the Croatian received the ball, turned to his left side and made the fadeaway jumper as time expired.
He finished with 8 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists on 2-7 shooting and 2-5 from beyond the arc.
BOJAN AT THE BUZZER 😱 pic.twitter.com/00sMajpYfa
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 10, 2020
After the game, Bogdanovic told the Jazz broadcast team that he didn’t think he would be in the game.
“First of all, I wasn’t supposed to be on the court on the last play with the way I was playing,” Bogdanovic said to Jazz sideline reporter Kristen Kenney. “The coaching staff believes in me and gave me the opportunity to shoot the game-winning shot. I know that I am able to hit those shots and at the end of the game, it’s very important for us.”
📹| Bogey rates his game-winner: "Better than the Milwaukee one!"#WalkoffInterview | @LittleCaesarsSP pic.twitter.com/U2q4Qae4lH
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 10, 2020
Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder wasn’t worried about Bogdanovic’s struggles previously in the game.
“You let him play. He is such a competitor,” Snyder told the media after the game.
Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 30 points off the bench. Donovan Mitchell added 24 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Mike Conley chipped in 20 points and Rudy Gobert notched another double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Bogdanovic had a team-high 27 points in their previous game when the Jazz beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
The Jazz will finish their quick two game road trip on Monday night when they face the Dallas Mavericks at 6:30 p.m. on AT&T SportsNet.