NBA: Bojan Bogdanovic hits Jazz record 11 triples in win over Thunder
Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Utah Jazz reacts after making a three point shot in the second half of a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 20, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Alex Goodlett/Getty Images/AFP
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 35 points, setting a franchise record with 11 3-pointers, to lead the Utah Jazz to a 116-103 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
The Jazz have won 10 of their last 12 while the Thunder have lost two consecutive games and 10 of their last 13.
Bogdanovic was coming off his worst shooting game of the season — going 1 of 11 from the floor and missing five of six 3-point attempts in Friday’s blowout loss in New Orleans.
But Bogdanovic got going from outside early, hitting four 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Bogdanovic had made eight 3-pointers in a game three times in his career before breaking through with more Sunday.
📹| Bogey with his 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 30+ point game this season 🔥#TakeNote | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/TQb0yJnUjc
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 7, 2022
Utah led by as many as 23 late in the third quarter, before Oklahoma City started cutting the deficit.
The Thunder pulled within nine with 4:30 remaining in the fourth, the first time Oklahoma City had been closer than 10 since the opening moments of the second quarter.
But Bogdanovic got hot from outside once again, hitting three 3-pointers down the stretch to keep the Thunder from getting closer than eight.
Bogdanovic was 11 of 19 from the field, with all but one of his attempts coming from beyond the arc.
Donovan Mitchell added 24 points and 10 assists for Utah, while Jordan Clarkson scored 20 off the bench.
Utah hit 23 3-pointers in 52 tries (44.2 percent). The Thunder have allowed a combined 45 3-pointers in their past two games.
Rudy Gobert had a game-high 17 rebounds to go with his 12 points. In Utah’s three games against Oklahoma City this season, Gobert is averaging more than 18 rebounds per game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points — along with eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals — while no other Oklahoma City player scored more than Aleksej Pokusevski’s 12.
The Jazz jumped out to an 18-point lead in the first quarter, reeling off a 27-8 run over a five-minute stretch to go up 33-15.
Utah hit seven of its eight first-quarter 3-point shots in the stretch, including a trio by Royce O’Neale on back-to-back-to-back possessions early in the run.
During the hot streak, the Jazz were 9-for-10 from the floor, making all of their 3-point tries.
