At the same time as Bojan Bogdanovic was averaging 17.8 points per game and shooting a scorching hot 47 percent from three on the Pacers’ recent trek through the great American West, the Croatian National Team star’s hopes of representing his home country in the 2019 World Cup were dimming overseas without him in the city of Vilnius.
After losing 79-62 to first-place Lithuania (9-1), Croatia’s talent-diluted roster dropped to fifth-place in Group J with a record of 4-6, which means they no longer control their own destiny.
In the second round of qualifying, only the top three teams from each group advance.