Bogdan Bogdanovic and the Atlanta Hawks were no match for his countrymen Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, the defending champs.

Jamal Murray also contributed well, scoring 16 points in limited minutes, and Bogdanovic believes there is no better pairing than the Nuggets’ Serbian-Canadian combination.

“He’s an excellent player. “He and Jokic are the best duo in the league, and it’s difficult to guard them,” Bogdanovic stated. “When Jokic needs to find a guy to score, he’s got Murray, and that’s basically it.”

Bogey gave it his all but was called for a foul early on. He finished with 18 points and at least one three-pointer in his 85th consecutive game, the ninth-longest in NBA history and the second-best in Hawks history. Only Kyle Korver has 127 consecutive matches.

In his seventh NBA season, the 31-year-old Serbian guard is averaging 16.9 points per game. He scored 229 triples, second only to Donte DiVincenzo in the Eastern Conference (262).