Adam Hunger- USA Today Sports
It has been another up-and-down week for the Brooklyn Nets. As they continue their pursuit for the final playoff spot, Bojan Bogdanovic and the Nets continue to be on the outside looking in. The week started on a down note against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 117-92 loss. Bogdanovic continues to come off the bench, but played the most minutes out of the entire rotation. In 36 minutes of action, Bojan scored 12 points on five of nine shooting. While his defense is still a work in progress, the increased aggressiveness in his game continues to be showcased. That has propelled him towards being more relied upon from Lionel Hollins.
Unlike most close games, Brooklyn managed to pull through in a triple overtime classic against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. In a 129-127 win, both teams battled in an absurd contest. Milwaukee managed to out-rebound Brooklyn by an 81 to 53 margin. Thankfully for Brooklyn, they held Milwaukee to just 38 percent shooting from the field. Bogdanovic played 45 minutes, which could very well be his career high for the next few years. A stat line of 15 points on seven of fifteen shooting, five assists, and three rebounds was an impressive stat line that raised eyebrows. Once again, Bojan was relied upon over current shooting guard Markel Brown. It seems to becoming official that Bogdanovic has been groomed into a six-man role.
The strong production continued, as Bogdanovic arguably had the best game of his career. The rookie shooting guard went perfect from the field on eight shots, which included 3 three-pointers. In 29 minutes of action, Bogdanovic got into the lane at will and scored on a variety of short jumpers and layups. If you watch the highlights, you’ll see that fellow Croatian rookie Damjan Rudez guarded him on many occasions. Bojan got the better of him each time, which included scoring on a layup, while being fouled in the process. Brooklyn won 123-111 in a pivotal matchup between playoff hopefuls. It was the best Brooklyn performance in weeks from scoring 123 points against one of the best defensive teams in the league. That’s an impressive feat, considering how much they’ve struggled at times offensively.
https://youtu.be/1NSGbzheRN8
Bojan Bogdanovic can’t miss against Indiana
Bojan’s hot shooting streak came to an end emphatically against Boston. In a key divisional game, Brooklyn fell flat on their faces in a 110-91 defeat. It was another dreadful home performance from the Nets, as they fell to 12-20 at home. In 26 minutes of action, Bogdanovic shot three for fourteen from the field and missed all four of his three-point attempts. Boston has an array of atheltic defenders from Evan Turner to Jae Crowder. They made it difficult for him, along with the entire Nets team. Besides Brook Lopez, the entire Nets team struggled. The only positive highlight came from Bogdanovic scoring on a tough runner only for it to be called back for a jump ball. A truly bizarre play in what was a significant loss for playoff implications.
Brooklyn earned a massive road win in a 91-88 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. After getting blown out by them last week, they held Charlotte to 39 percent shooting from the field. Bogdanovic had a quiet night in scoring just four points on two of six shooting. It was a very defensive game with both teams shooting poorly. In the end, Brooklyn desperately needed this win to jump ahead of Charlotte in the chase for the final playoff seed. Brook Lopez’s 34 points and ten rebounds propelled them into getting them a half-game out of the final playoff seed.
The week is somewhat light for the Nets, although every game is essential at this point. They will be on a three-game home stretch starting against Cleveland on Friday. After that difficult matchup, the lowly Los Angeles Lakers come into Brooklyn on Sunday. The week ends with the Nets taking on the Pacers in another game that can be season-changing in determining who makes the playoffs. We’ll also see Rudez against Bogdanovic again in what should an exciting encounter.
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The Golden State Warriors are on the verge of clinching home-court advantage. Another perfect week saw them beating five teams, including four that should be in the playoffs. It started off last week against the Atlanta Hawks in a 114-95 victory. Andrew Bogut was held scoreless, but still contributed with 14 rebounds and three blocks. The potential first-team all NBA defender held star center Al Horford to just four of eighteen shooting. It was another statement win for the best team in the league through shooting 52 percent against one of the stingiest defenses.
Despite Stephen Curry shooting four for seventeen and Klay Thompson being injured, the Warriors managed to pull away from the New Orleans Pelicans in a 112-96 victory. Bogut was held to just 15 minutes of action, due to foul trouble. The seven footer contributed with six points and five rebounds in a lackluster affair. Golden State’s bench combined for 56 points in showcasing how depth won’t be an issue in the playoffs. The current rotation has so many established veterans, such as Andre Iguodala and David Lee that can be productive on a nightly basis.
The wins continues to pile on, as Golden State won by double-digits once again against the Jazz. In a 106-91 victory, Bogut contributed with eight points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 30 minutes of action. Utah’s front line of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors have proven to be matchup nightmares for several teams. While Favors had a productive game, Gobert missed all five of his shots in 34 minutes of action. Despite a first-seed essentially wrapped up, Bogut is more than willing to play major minutes in these particular games against bigger teams. Steve Kerr will eventually look to cutting his minutes down within the next few weeks.
Another statement win occurred in Golden State, as they dominated the Washington Wizards by a score of 107-76. It was arguably their best defensive performance of the season, as they held Washington to a mere eight points in the third quarter. Bogut was limited to 23 minutes in a convincing victory, but was more than ready for the challenge against Marcin Gortat. The Australian-Croatian center had six points, twelve rebounds, and two blocks in another strong well rounded performance. The Warriors were locked into limiting the stellar back-court duo of Bradley Beal and John Wall to a combined 8 for 27 from the field.
They clinched the division title on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 122-108 win. Bogut achieved his first double-double since January with a 10-point and 16-rebound effort. With LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum out with injuries, it was a routine win for the Warriors on the road.
At 58-13, Golden State is only a few more wins away from clinching home-court advantage. A Friday night showdown against the Memphis Grizzlies will be an excellent test in a potential playoff matchup. They continue their road trip against Milwaukee on Saturday. The week ends on Tuesday in prime-time against the Los Angeles Clippers on national television. Those games tend to bring out the best in both teams, as it has become an intense rivalry.
Bill Streicher- USA Today Sports
After an impressive seven-game winning streak, the Indiana Pacers have proceeded to go on a six-game losing streak. In the process, Damjan Rudez has started to see his minutes differentiate over the losing streak. It started against Chicago last Wednesday in a 103-86 defeat. Rudez played just nine minutes and scored two points in the lopsided defeat. Rodney Stuckey continues to see increased minutes, as Frank Vogel tries to figure out his rotation in their playoff push.
Rudez received a slight boost in playing 18 minutes against Cleveland in a 95-92 defeat. The rookie small forward connected on two of his three-pointers in once again contributing with his outside shooting. LeBron James was too much for Indiana to contain in what would have been another special upset for them. They’ve beat Cleveland on two occasions this year, which is considered remarkable when looking at both respective teams on paper.
The losing streak continued, as they lost to the Nets on the following night by a score of 123-111. As mentioned above, Rudez was beaten consistently by Bogdanovic on several one-on-one situations. Despite scoring eight points in 11 minutes of action, Rudez’s defensive limitations were evident once again. It also showed on the stat sheet, as his plus-minus ratio was at minus 14. The lack of improvement on the defensive end from Rudez has to be concerning for the Pacers coaching staff. Despite his shooting excellence (which is inconsistent at times), teams see him as a liability and constantly attack him.
Indiana was on the receiving end of the James Harden show on Monday. The potential MVP candidate scored 44 points in a 110-100 victory. Rudez played 21 minutes and fared slightly better against Houston. A three for six shooting effort from the field is solid production for him. While his lack of speed remains evident, Damjan continues to find ways to score off the bench. That keeps him within the rotation on a deep Pacers team.
The losing streak finally ended last night in Washington. After being down by six going into the fourth quarter, the Pacers stormed back for a 103-101 victory. Rudez was on point once again with an eleven-point effort on four of nine shooting. The Wizards failed to close him down on several occasions, which led to Rudez going three for seven from three-point range. Road wins against perennial playoff teams are hard to come by. This could change Indiana’s fate, as they looked more composed and played relatively well.
Indiana makes a quick turnover tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks. They return home on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks in another difficult test. The week ends on Tuesday in a rematch against the Brooklyn Nets that will be a vital game for both teams. Both teams remain a game apart from each other, although both teams are on the outside looking in. Boston has taken over the final playoff seed in the Eastern conference on a tie-breaker over Indiana.
Soobum Im- USA Today Sports
After being very productive over the past two weeks for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Justin Hamilton went down with a significant migraine injury that kept him out for nearly the entire week. Hamilton returned last night against the Los Angeles Lakers, but only played nine minutes in a 101-98 defeat. The seven-footer from LSU missed both shots, as the rust was evident from the week-long layoff.
Twitter: @Allen_Strk
Nice picture of Bogdanovic shooting the three.
It would be nice if the Nets and Pacers can make the playoffs. However, its a long shot for both.
I wonder if we can get 10 comments on this one…..
I was watching that game when Bogdan hit the 3-pointer (the picture above) where the Bucks were yelling at him while taking the shot.
He actually made it….he usually clanks big wide-open shots such as this one.
For those who watch Pardon the Interruption, Wilbon said that only thing that prevents GSW from winning it all is Andrew Bogut’s health (Or lack thereof) He really is that important. Even posting 41-7 team record when he’s in. Thats pretty damn impressive