:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47105918/15Bargnani-Tbilisi_BASKET.0.0.jpg)
Brooklyn Nets big man Andrea Bargnani was in action on Sunday in Italy's second game of Group play in Eurobasket, while Bojan Bogdanovic was a DNP due to injury, as Croatia played against Greece.
Bogdanovic posted on Instagram and Twitter prior to the game, letting fans know that doctors did not want him to play against Greece despite his desire to suit up.
The second injury in just over a week. The luck obviously doesn't follow me recently. Thanks for all your support! pic.twitter.com/ResvRD9OTG
— Bojan Bogdanovic (@44Bojan) September 6, 2015
Doctors say I need to rest tonight but my desire to play against Greece is strong. We'll see. #EuroBasket2015 #IbelieveinCroatia
— Bojan Bogdanovic (@44Bojan) September 6, 2015
Without Bogdanovic, Croatia lost a close one to their toughest competition in Group play, as Greece squeezed out a 72-70 victory.
As for Bargnani and Team Italy, they picked up a victory over Iceland, 71-64, after losing to Turkey in their opening game. Bargnani played just nine minutes and shot 1-of-5 from the floor. As Sportnando notes, he now seems to be the third center on his own team.
Bargnani has played a bunch of minutes in the second half. He is now the third center of Italy after Cusin and Melli
— Sportando (@sportando) September 6, 2015
On his defense, which was brutal in the first game against Turkey, Bargnani blocked three shots in nine minutes, including back-to-back blocks.
BACK TO BACK BLOCKS By BARGNANI https://t.co/kh6ZVzhmWc
— EuropeanBBallVideos (@EuroBBallVideos) September 6, 2015
Here's a full compilation of his day's work from Fabrizio Taffuri...
Italy will play Spain on Tuesday, while Croatia will play Macedonia on Tuesday. Not word as of yet as to whether or not Bogdanovic will play. As we noted, the concussion rules in FIBA are not the same as they are in the NBA, so he may very well be cleared to play by Tuesday.
- FIBA Europe - Italy vs. Iceland - Boxscore - Eurobasket