Hawks' Bogdan Bogdanovic makes bonkers franchise history with explosion vs. Nuggets

Hawks' Bogdan Bogdanovic stepped up for the team with Trae Young getting himself ejected in their loss to the Nuggets.

With Trae Young headed for an early exit after picking up two technical fouls late in the third quarter, the Atlanta Hawks needed someone to step up and take on the role of primary offensive option so they could keep up against Nikola Jokic and the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in their heated Monday night contest. Conventional wisdom would dictate that it's Dejounte Murray who will seize control of the offense, but against the Nuggets, it was Jokic's fellow Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic who played out of his mind.

Facing a 17-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, Bogdanovic tried to do his part to keep the game within striking distance. Bogdanovic has 13 points in the fourth quarter, including three triples, although he and the Hawks fell short, suffering a 129-122 loss to the Nuggets.

In the end, however, Bogdan Bogdanovic put up the best game of his NBA career, an admirable effort despite the loss. The Hawks guard finished with a career-high 40 points in 36 minutes of play, and he shot the ball well, making 14 of his 24 shots from the field and nailing 10 of his 17 triples. And in doing so, he became the first player in Hawks franchise history to tally 40+ points and 10+ threes in a single game, according to StatMuse.

There have been plenty of snipers in Hawks history; the likes of Joe Johnson, Kyle Korver, and Steve Smith come to mind. However, none of them made 10 threes in a single game during their time in Atlanta. In fact, there is only one other player in franchise history who has drained 10+ triples, and it's veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, who did so in February 2021 against the Boston Celtics.

During that game, however, Gallinari finished with a “mere” 38 points, missing out on the Bogdan Bogdanovic club by a single bucket.

Nevertheless, while Bogdanovic's scoring explosion is something to celebrate for Hawks fans, the performance of the team over the past week or so won't be putting many smiles on their faces. They have now lost four straight games, although all of those games have come against playoff teams, three of which are considered as legitimate contenders this season (Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Nuggets).