Bojan Bogdanovic isn’t a fan of the brace he is now sporting on his surgically repaired right wrist.
“I really hate to play with anything on my body, any tape or brace, but I really needed it because my wrist is kind of sore when I follow through when I’m shooting,” Bogdanovic said. “This is helping me and preventing me from hurting in that motion.”
Good thing, too.
Because Bogdnavoic had plenty of opportunities to hold his follow-through Sunday night. The Utah Jazz forward broke out of a mini early season slump with a 28-point performance in the Jazz’s 130-109 road victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
“I’m feeling way better,” Bogdanovic said with a smile after the game. “We won and I played well. Finally, we put those two things together.”
The Jazz got Bogdanovic going early in San Antonio, drawing up a play to get the forward a layup on the first possession of the game.
“That really helped me to get my rhythm back,” he said.
From there, Bogdanovic did what he does best. The forward connected on 6-of-7 attempts from 3, helping his team kick off this seven-game road trip with a win.
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell had 22 points and nine assists on the night. Guards Jordan Clarkson (18 points) and Mike Conley (15 points) helped the Jazz improve to 4-2 on the season.
All-Star center Rudy Gobert and wing Royce O’Neale, meanwhile, anchored a tremendous defensive performance. On a night the Jazz flirted with a franchise record for 3-pointers made, San Antonio managed to attempt just 19 triples. Inside, Gobert was there to protect the rim, finishing with six blocks.
“As long as we keep the same mindset and come in with the same effort on the defensive end, the offense comes easy,” Gobert said. “If we take care of the ball and play the right way and play defense, it’s going to be hard for us to give up games.”
Saturday’s Best
just a casual 85% from 3 tonight #PerformanceLeader | @UofUHealth pic.twitter.com/mhSplbudaN
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) January 4, 2021
| It was @44bojan‘s night
28p | 6-7 3pm | 3a | 1s pic.twitter.com/qLVM9XfDAC
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) January 4, 2021
Game Highlights
| A Good One#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/sMNGiDfhkl
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) January 4, 2021
Notable
• Count Spurs coach Gregg Popovich among those impressed by the Jazz’s offensive evolution.
“That’s a great staff,” Popovich said of Snyder and his assistant coaches. “He’s a really highly creative individual. He really understands the nuances of the game and he’s instituted a system that works really well for the group he has.”
• The Spurs were without forward LaMarcus Aldridge (knee soreness) and guard Derrick White (sprained toe) on Sunday.
• Former Jazzman Trey Lyles had only appeared in two games for the Spurs. Popovich’s explanation: “You can only play so many guys.” Asked what Lyles could do to earn more minutes, the coach said, “He’s doing it every day.”
• The Utah Jazz are now on on the team’s longest road trip since the team’s arena was used as a venue during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Over the course of 11 days, the Jazz play seven games on the road.
Up Next
The Jazz continue their seven-game road trip with a meeting against Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. Tipoff is set for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. MT.
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