Ivica Zubac played arguably the best game of his career in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks.
With Kawhi Leonard looking on from the bench due to a knee injury, Zubac stepped up and was a dominant force to help the Clippers open the series with a 109-97 victory.
A lot of naysayers were ready to count out the Clippers as Kawhi Leonard deals with another injury in the playoffs. But Ivica Zubac was ready to prove that he is ready to step up when his number is called upon.
James Harden had 28 points and six three-pointers, while Paul George added 22 to lead the way for the Clippers. But Zubac’s all-around performance was just as important in helping Los Angeles take the series-opener over the Mavericks.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue made it a point to get his starting center going immediately. They gave the big man several touches on the post and also found him on some timely rolls to the basket.
Be it Daniel Gafford or rookie Derek Lively II, the Mavs could not find an answer for the 7-foot, 240-pound big man.
Zubac scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first quarter, with two of those baskets coming off Harden assists. That strategy proved to pay its dividends as Zubac’s assertiveness and aggressiveness set the tone early for Los Angeles, who wound up outscoring Dallas 36-22 in the paint.
Though Ivica Zubac’s presence inside set the tone early for Los Angeles, it was James Harden’s throwback performance that completely swung the tide towards the Clippers.
After letting Zubac eat through the first few minutes of the opening frame, Harden cooked in the final three minutes of the period, where he went off with 11 points, including three three-pointers.
From there, the Clippers locked in defensively, as they held the Mavericks to just 30 points in the first half, including just eight in the second quarter.
Harden and Zubac have established quite a rapport alongside each other. Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles via trade in November, Harden reportedly asked Zubac to spend a couple of hours after practice to work on pick-and-rolls.
The two have since developed their pick-and-roll game together and Zubac is having a career-year as a result.
During the regular season, the 27-year-old averaged a career-high 11.7 points to go along with 9.2 rebounds on nearly 65 percent field goal shooting. Among all players with at least 150 pick-and-roll possessions, Zubac ranks in the top-3 in field goal percentage (66.9%) and score frequency (63.9%).
Harden deserves some credit for in the pick-and-roll by giving the big man easy looks at the rim.
The Clippers will need Zubac to maintain his assertiveness and aggressiveness if they want to get past the first-round against the Mavs, especially if Leonard will remain out.
