THOUSIF Inc. - WORLDWIDE
sports
28/11/2022
Not only did the Los Angeles Clippers defeat the Indiana Pacers 114-100 on Sunday, but they also got a historic performance from their big man Ivica Zubac.
Without Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in the lineup, Zubac stepped up to be "the guy" against Indiana, a role we have not seen often from him.
In 36 minutes of play, Zubac ended up with a season-high 31 points on 14-17 shooting, a career-high 29 rebounds, and three blocks.
Numbers like these from a center do not come around too often anymore,
Shaquille O'Neal was the last player to record at least 30 points and 25 rebounds and shoot at least 80 percent from the floor back in 2004, per ESPN.
Ivica Zubac also became just the third player in NBA history to have at least 31 points, 29 rebounds, and three blocks in a game, the first since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did so in 1978.
With his massive performance, Zubac became the first team player to record 25 points and 25 rebounds in a single game.
"I was mad at myself because I wanted to get that 30 and 30 so bad," Zubac said after the game.
"It hurts. It is not as happy as I should be. It is crazy. I always wanted to get a 20/20 game. It is crazy to be mentioned with Kareem. It is incredible."
Fouling out in the fourth quarter, Zubac came up just short of recording a 30-point, 30-rebound game, which has only been done twice since the start of the 1983-84 season.