NBA – Bojan Bogdanovic hit a game-clinching three-pointer as Jazz beat Rockets 114-113

jazz vs rockets 114-113

bogdanovic jazz beats rocketsLast time these two teams met, Utah Jazz found it hard to deal with Houston Rockets’ small ball. It seemed, at that time, Mike D’Antoni gave the whole league an input on how to get the better of Jazz’s staunch defence. And when P.J. Tucker hit a 3-pointer from the corner to put Houston in the lead by two points with 1.6 seconds remaining, Mike d’Antoni’s tactics looked spot on. But it was not a happy ending for the Rockets. Small ball, Utah Jazz’s kryptonite? What’s that!

Bojan Bogdanovic made amends for an awful night with a telling three-pointer just a few seconds before the buzzer-beater as the Utah Jazz finally beat the Houston Rockets 114-113 at Toyota Center. Before that game-clinching shot, the 30-year-old forward managed just 5 points, with the Rockets outplaying Jazz by 11 points when he was on the court. But he exited the court as a super-hero, surrounded and cuddled by the teammates.

Jazz opted for a time-out after Tucker’s shot, and Rockets duly applied defence on Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson, who was having a very good game, but Joe Ingles passed the ball to Bogdanovic, who was also double-covered, but sent a twisting shot into the hoop anyway, and the rest is the history. A great way to end one of the best games in the NBA this season.

“I knew it was good, I knew it was good as soon as he caught it,”

P. J. Tucker said after the game. “He got a good lift on it. I could just tell, as soon as he shot it, I knew it was good.”

Russell Westbrook started hot on the night and the Jazz tried to limit him with Rudy Gobert, but James Harden’s movement created all sorts of problems for the Jazz, and Westbrook managed to find space and continued to pour in points, finishing with the game’s best efforts 39 points on 18-for-33 shooting. Mr. Beard managed 28 but clocked a triple-double with 10 assists and 10 boards.

Beyond the superstar duo, the Rockets struggled to find productivity and could fetch only 13 points from the second unit. Jazz, on the other hand, got a remarkable 47 points from the bench. It was Rockets’ second straight defeat and fell to 33-20 on the season.

For Jazz, Clarkson had a team-high 30 points, Mitchell finished with 24, Mike Conley dropped 20, while Rudy Gobert recorded a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. With their second straight win, the Jazz improved their season record to 34-18.