Ivica Zubac. This was the name on everyone’s lips Clippers and in all the heads of the defenders of Pacersthis Sunday evening.
Author of a gargantuan performance (31 points, 29 rebounds and 3 blocks!!!), not to say “Chamberlesque”, the Croatian literally stepped on the racket ofIndianajust powerless in front of his activity on the rebound and his skill near the circle (14/17 on shots…).
Stopped only by faults, the pivot of Los Angeles above all accompanied his record performance with a nice success (114-100), against a team yet in very good shape (10 wins in 13 games for a month). It was necessary to compensate for the absences of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, while putting an end to the series of two defeats of his…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Message from Ivica Zubac. While there have been recent rumors of Clippers interest in… Myles Turner, his direct opponent, the Croatian obviously aimed to demonstrate to his leaders that they don’t need to look for another position 5. Dominator from start to finish, he ridiculed the Pacers’ interiors and reigned supreme in the paint, gobbling no less than 12 offensive rebounds (personal best) and 17 defensive rebounds (personal best), while fueling his team’s mark with disconcerting ease near the circle.
— Los Angeles accelerated after the break. Long guided by a huge Ivica Zubac, the Clippers nevertheless managed to make a difference when Marcus Morris (8 points) began to take the game on his own and found success from afar. That is to say during the third quarter (23-12). But make no mistake: Zubac has at the same time continued his work in the paint, just to not let the Pacers breathe, both in the key and behind the line at 3-pts. Pacers who, on the other side of the field, no longer put a shot and impaled themselves on the defense of Los Angeles…
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jalen Smith. In sequence, Tyrese Haliburton (15 points, 11 assists) and TJ McConnell (14 points, 5 assists) showed great things, but it was Smith who was most prominent on the Pacers side. Author of his new points record (23, to go with his 9 rebounds), he was one of the rare players to be threatening and hard-hitting in attack, thanks in particular to his shooting quality (3/7 to 3- points). In addition to not suffering too much from the domination of Ivica Zubac, in defense…
✅ Norman Powell. The Clippers’ most consistent player for ten days, to the point of being encouraged by Tyronn Lue to seek the title of Sixth Man of the Year, Powell (19 points) has again done good for his team at the end of bench. Especially in the first two quarters, when the Pacers were in control (27-19) and Los Angeles was in need of offensive solutions. In good energizerthe aggressive rear then turned into an attacking leader to put his own in front, alongside a John Wall (10 points, 8 assists) also valuable in rotation of Reggie Jackson.
⛔ The Hield/Turner duo. In a room that they could have (will?) join, Buddy Hield (10 points, but at 3/14 on shots, including 1/9 at 3-pts) and Myles Turner (9 points and 5 rebounds, at 3/ 9 on shots, including 1/6 at 3-pts) clearly ate the sheet. In particular the pivot of the Pacers, transparent in attack but above all humiliated in defense and on the rebound by Ivica Zubac. Not the kind of performance that will push the leaders of the Clippers to recruit him, if the recent rumors surrounding him are proven…
⛔ The “cleanliness” of the Clippers. If Ivica Zubac was able to gorge on the rebound and in the paint, it was because there were a ton of balls to recover. Failures on the part of the Pacers of course (38% on shots, including 21% at 3-pts…), but also the Clippers who, like Reggie Jackson (1/5), Marcus Morris (2/8 ), Terance Mann (0/3), Nicolas Batum (0/3) or even Norman Powell (2/8) watered the outside shoot. Ending with a pitiful 19% success in the exercise. To make matters worse, Tyronn Lue’s men also struggled to take care of the leather, losing no less than 18 balls. Inconsequential, ultimately.
THE FOLLOWING
Los Angeles (12-9) : trip to Portland, overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday (04:00).
Indiana (11-8) : back-to-back at the Lakers, on the night of Monday to Tuesday (04:30).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWISMhm_2tY
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