Bogdan Bogdanovic played better in his second game back after returning from a knee injury, and he’s encouraged with the progress he has made.
Bogdanovic scored 17 points Monday night in the host Hawks’ 121-114 loss to the Thunder.
“I’m still working on my conditioning, but I’m in pretty good shape. I thought I would be more tired, more sore,” Bogdanovic said about his legs. “I feel really good; I feel like my old self. I did have heavy legs in the second half, all the shots, all these curls I usually make weren’t there. Just gotta keep working.”
At the outset with fresh legs, Bogdanovic displayed his strong shooting after coming off the bench with five minutes left in the first quarter. He missed the first 3-point shot he took before hitting three in a row and one more in the second quarter before substituting out midway through the period.
His four 3-pointers in the opening half marked the eighth time Bogdanovic has hit at least four triples in a first half in his career. He credited his shots and open looks to the space Trae Young and Dejounte Murray provided him as they shared the court for the first time this season.
“It was amazing, really. We’re still adjusting to each other,” Bogdanovic said. “You saw how many times I was open tonight, and you saw that is what I like to do, to shoot open shots. It is pretty good to play with two point guards; they have high IQs, and they trust me.”
Bogdanovic’s fire that he started the game with waned in the second half. Bogdanovic, whose minutes will be restricted for the next five or six games as he builds up his conditioning, shot 25% from 3-point range in the second half and 2 of 7 overall during the half.
The veteran player knows his recovery and routine will change as he travels for the first time as an active player this season. The Hawks play in New York on Wednesday against the Knicks and Friday against the Nets.
“Just working, being around the guys, seeing them work will help,” said Bogdanovic, who shot 6 of 13 from the field and 5 of 10 from 3-point range.
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