Given that the Jazz were missing some main guys and the Nuggets were missing some main guys, who knows if Friday night’s matchup at Vivint Arena actually means anything.
It felt like it meant something, though.
It felt like playoff atmosphere.
And if this 127-120 win was a preview of what’s to come, there’s a lot for Utah to like.
Timely defense … clutch shooting …
And an absolutely incendiary Bojan Bogdanovic doesn’t hurt either.
Yeah, the guy who shot 35% from the field for a whole month. The guy who went through a stretch where he struggled to put consecutive dribbles together without coughing up the ball. The guy who a sizable contingent of the fanbase was eager to send somewhere — anywhere! — at the trade deadline.
He’s taken the continuing absences of All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley as a personal challenge, and has, at times, seemed to almost single-handedly keep the team’s offense going by himself.
For the second straight game, he was operating at peak efficiency — though he dialed it up a few notches against the Nuggets.
The final carnage? A career-high 48 points on a ridiculous 16 for 23 from the field.
“What didn’t we see from him tonight? He really scored in every way possible,” said coach Quin Snyder. “… He’s in a great place mentally.”
He didn’t do it all himself, of course.
Jordan Clarkson had another brilliant first quarter to help Utah erase an early double-digit deficit.
Trent Forrest’s chasedown block of a Facundo Campazzo layup attempt, and a Rudy Gobert rejection of a Nikola Jokic hook shot — both in the fourth quarter — were huge momentum-swingers.
Georges Niang capitalized on the late double-teams devoted to his frontcourt-mate by draining a few big 3s.
Gobert was clutch at the free-throw line.
The defense limited Denver to 21 points in the fourth on 7-for-20 shooting.
But all night long, it was Bogdanovic doing the heavy lifting.
He scored 12 in the first quarter, 13 more in the second, a dozen more in the third … and a paltry 11 in the fourth, as Denver began to increasingly throw extra coverage at him.
Not that it did much good.
The veteran who’s admitted to having his confidence shaken at times this season after undergoing surgery to his shooting wrist, seems to be firing on all cylinders now.
“He’s stayed consistent with his approach,” said Snyder. “He’s a great player who had a big night. … I don’t think anybody in that locker room is surprised.”
This story will be updated.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/33ntnn0
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