Utah Jazz at Indy: Can Slow-Mo’ Joe outgun Bogdanovic?

Sharpshooters Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic will attempt to outgun one another when the Utah Jazz take the court in Indy on Monday.

When the Utah Jazz wrap up a five-game road trip on Monday against the Indiana Pacers, they may just catch a major break. Pacers star Victor Oladipo, who exited his team’s Saturday victory over the Atlanta Hawks after injuring his knee, is questionable to play against the Jazz.

Unfortunately, they’ll still have to contend with Bojan Bogdanovic, who helped carry his squad to that win in Oladipo’s stead.

Bogdanovic scored 22 points against Atlanta, hitting 7-of-12 shots from the floor, including three 3-pointers. The Jazz’s Joe Ingles will be tasked with taking him down a peg in what will be a battle between two of the Association’s deadliest 3-point snipers.

They also happen to be players of similar size (6-foot-8, 220ish pounds), with similar backgrounds — each having enjoyed lengthy careers abroad before reaching the league at slightly older ages — and that distinct math teacher vibe.

That particular descriptor that may seem like a dig, but it’s apropos in more ways than one — Bogdanovic and Ingles are both rocking the numbers from deep.

On the season, Bogdanovic is connecting on 52 percent of his triples; that’s second league-wide to the San Antonio Spurs’ Rudy Gay. He’s hit at least one three in all but one of his 16 games this season and has nailed two or more in seven of his last eight.

Overall, he’s putting up a career-best 15 and four line on the early season.

Meanwhile, Ingles is at just over 39 percent from deep thus far. That’s down a bit from 44 percent over the past two seasons, but the Jazzman is still having a career year in his own right, averaging 13 points, four boards, four assists and 1.5 steals per contest.

As ever, Ingles has been a hugely impactful player for Utah this season. The Jazz are nearly 12 points per 100 possessions worse when he’s sitting on the bench.

Head-to-head, his team has usually gotten the better of Bogdanovic’s since both players entered the league in 2014. Ingles and the Jazz are 7-2 against Bogdanovic over that span.

Although shooting is where both players make their money, it was Ingles’ vision that won the day when last the Jazz visited the Pacers. Slow-Mo’ Joe racked up 10 dimes in a 104-84 win in March. The Jazz were plus-22 when he was on the floor in that game, while Bogdanovic put up a minus-12.

Bogdanovic has improved defensively since signing on in Indy, but remains a less than stellar defender. Ingles has yet to capitalize on this in their match-ups, averaging just 6.2 PPG, but may be due for a big night. He needs to be aggressive and put the pressure on when given the chance.

On the other end, Utah’s glue guy would do well to force Bogdanovic into the non-restricted area of the paint, where he’s made just nine of his 24 attempts on the year.

The Jazz and the Pacers will do battle at 5 PM MT on Monday night.