The Loop

Nemanja Bjelica drops game-winning tre and interview f-bomb to cap eventful evening

December 10, 2019
Screen Shot 2019-12-10 at 11.54.55 AM.png

If you're not hooked up to a nightly NBA IV, then you missed one hell of a finish to Kings-Rockets on Monday. The fun fired up with about :24 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, when Ben McLemore drained a three to put Houston up 116-113. Buddy Hield answered right back with a three of his own, before Russell Westbrook seemingly won it for the Rockets, driving the lane and laying in a lovely little finger roll to give the Rockets the advantage with one tick left. Westbrook thought it was over—even said it was over—but he didn't account for the Serbian sniper Nemanja Bjelica, who grabbed the inbounds, chucked up a deep one from Steph town as the buzzer sounded, and watched gleefully as it rippled the net. It was the first of two great moments for Bjelica on the night.

The next came soon after, once Bjelica was done being mobbed by his teammates having snatched an unexpected victory from the jaws of a cruel defeat. Speaking to the local NBC broadcast after the game, Bjelica decided to drop one more incredible bomb, saying "F—k it, we deserve this win, man." Indeed, Nemanja. Indeed you f—king did.

Safe to say the studio execs back in Sactown didn't love this quite as much as we did, but Bjelica has the right to be feeling himself a bit at the moment. Monday night's hero has put up over 17 points in four of his last five games, including 30 points and seven rebounds in a win over Dallas on Sunday. If that doesn't earn you a four-letter freebie or two, we don't know what will.