Veteran NBA big man Boban Marjanovic may be known best in 2023 for his State Farm commercials. But on Sunday, the 34-year-old scored a season-high 10 points for the Houston Rockets in six minutes, and he did so on efficient 4-of-5 shooting (80.0%).
For obvious reasons, those numbers are a footnote on a night that will be remembered for Portland’s Damian Lillard scoring a career-high 71 points, which was the most in Trail Blazers franchise history and the most by any player against the Rockets in club history.
Nonetheless, for fans of the lovable 7-foor-4 giant from Serbia, it became a memorable night for other reasons.
In 2022-23, Marjanovic has largely served as a non-playing veteran influence in the locker room for the Rockets, who are evaluating younger prospects like Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba at center.
But on occasion, head coach Stephen Silas finds a matchup he thinks Marjanovic’s size could be effective against — at least on the offensive end — and Portland was apparently one of those.
Here’s a look back at his top highlights from Sunday.