Four Croatian basketball players appeared on the NBA court Friday night. The most efficient of them was Dario Šarić, who scored 9 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in the Minnesota Timberwolves defeat to New Orleans (117:122), reports HRT on February 9, 2019. 

The Pelicans were led by Anthony Davis, who played after a three-week break and managed 32 points and nine rebounds. Jrue Holiday added 27 and Kenrich Williams 19. For Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns was again the best with 32 points. 

Mario Hezonja received excellent playing time for the New York Knicks against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons celebrated 120:103, though the Dubrovnik native scored eight points, with seven rebounds, one assist and two steals. This was the 15th consecutive defeat for the Knicks. 

The winning team was led by Andre Drummond who scored 29 points and 20 rebounds, and Blake Griffin who managed 26. The best for the Knicks was Dennis Smith Jr. with 31 points.

Ante Žižić’s team also suffered a defeat. The Cleveland Cavaliers lost away in Washington 106:119. Žižić managed six points, one rebound, and one block. Bobby Portis was the most effective for Washington with 30 points, while Bradley Beal added 25 points and 13 assists. Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson led Cleveland with 27 and 24 points. 

Current champions the Golden State Warriors defeated the Suns in Phoenix 117:107, which is the 13th consecutive defeat for the Suns. Dragan Bender achieved only two points for the hosts but added six rebounds and five assists.

Klay Thompson led the winners with 25 points, while Kelly Oubre Jr. was the best for Phoenix with 25 points. 

Bojan Bogdanović’s Indiana Pacers will face Ante Žižić’s Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night in Indiana, while Ivica Zubac’s new team the LA Clippers will face the Boston Celtics away. 

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NBA team the Indiana Pacers celebrated at home against the Miami Heat 95:88, though what made the Pacers’ victory so special is that Croatian player Bojan Bogdanović was the one to carry them, reports HRT on February 3, 2019. 

The 29-year-old from Mostar was the best scorer of the game, nailing 31 points (shots in play 13/19, three-pointers 3/7, free throws 2/2) and even collected seven rebounds, one steal, and one block. The Pacers have thus ended their negative series of four defeats and managed their first win after the All-Star player Victor Oladipo’s season-ending injury. Darren Collison followed Bogdanović on the Pacers with 20 points and six assists.

For the Heat, Hassan Whiteside achieved a double-double, scoring 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Dwyane Wade scored 21 points in 27 minutes.

The Los Angeles Lakers, whose jersey is worn by the young sensation Ivica Zubac, lost to NBA champions the Golden State Warriors 101:115. Our Croatian basketball star spent 26 minutes on the court and managed to score 10 points (shots in play 5/11), nine rebounds, one assist and two blocks.

The Warriors were led by Klay Thompson (28 points), Kevin Durant (21 points, 11 assists) and DeMarcus Cousins (18 points, 10 rebounds). Brandon Ingram scored 20 points for the Lakers and Rajon Rondo scored 12 points with 11 assists.

Ante Žižić put in a modest eight points (shots in play 4/9) with six rebounds in Cleveland’s home defeat to the Dallas Mavericks 98:111. Once again, Slovenian player Luka Dončić was excellent for the Mavericks, scoring 35 points to equal his career record in the NBA league. He also collected 11 rebounds and six assists. The best for the Cavaliers was Jordan Clarkson who scored 19 points.

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Denver Nuggets 106:107, with Dario Šarić only scoring 6 points in 19 minutes on the court. Dragan Bender did not come off the bench for the Suns’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks. 

Mario Hezonja scored 10 points (shots in play 4/8, three-pointers 0/4) in the New York Knicks loss to the Boston Celtics. Hezonja also collected three rebounds, and two assists in his 22 minutes on the court. 

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It was another excellent evening in the NBA for Croatia’s young basketball stars Ivica Zubac and Ante Žižić.

The 21-year-old Mostar native Ivica Zubac was the most effective player for the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. In their defeat to the Golden State Warriors, Zubac scored 18 points. 

The young Croatian center Ivica Zubac had the best night of his career against Oklahoma City Thunder where his Los Angeles Lakers celebrated 138:128 in extra time. The 21-year-old from Čitluk scored 26 points in the victory with 12/14 shots in play and 12 rebounds - and 16 of those points were achieved in the last quarter and extra time, reports T.portal on January 18, 2019. 

In addition to Zubac, who dominated in the direct duel with New Zealander Steven Adams (17 points and 15 rebounds), the best on the Lakers was Kyle Kuzma with 32 points and Lonzo Ball with 18 points and ten rebounds.

The best Lakers player, LeBron James, who was injured on Christmas, is still not ready to play, though he continues helping from the sideline with advice and support for the young players, including young Zubac.

Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!! @ivicazubac

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 18, 2019

Lakers coach Luke Walton commented on Zubac’s game:

“He was powerful in the game and was really good with his soft shot. His teammates were constantly looking for him. When he got the ball near the hoop was very good. But, he's growing and becoming more and more physically powerful. Everyone has made their contribution today. It is difficult to win here, because you’re playing against a team for the playoffs,” said a delighted Walton who has been increasingly using Zubac on the court. Hopefully, his future is guaranteed in Los Angeles. 

We should also mention that Zubac had a net rating of +35 (+/- rating) which, in the history of Lakers, was only done by a handful of players (and only Kobe Bryant is in front of him).

'The whole has been season great. Every time he has a minute, his contributions are huge. Today he got the chance and did not get tired at all. I'm proud of him,” said Zubac’s teammate Lonzo Ball.

In other NBA news, the Indiana Pacers were convincingly defeated by Philadelphia 120:96 at home. From the middle of the second quarter, the Sixers took control of the result and systematically increased their advantage by the end of the game.

Bojan Bogdanović did not have a great night and finished the game with 9 points and 3/11 shots in play. 

Dragan Bender stayed on the bench in the Phoenix loss to Toronto, and in the Washington and New York duel at London's O2 Arena, Mario Hezonja played for 19 minutes, caught six rebounds but missed all four shots.

Ante Žižić was the most effective for his Cleveland Cavaliers who lost to the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, while Dario Šarič had yet another poor game in the loss of his Minnesota Timberwolves.

Žižić achieved a double-double in 35 minutes, scored 15 points with ten rebounds and had one steal and one block. Šarić played 28 minutes and scored only two points with 1/5 shots in play. He achieved seven rebounds and two steals.

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Croatia’s basketball representatives in the NBA were brilliant again on Friday night, and 22-year-old Split native Ante Žižić had the score of his career. Namely, in the Cleveland Cavaliers loss to the Houston Rockets, Žižić scored 18 points, which is his career high, reports HRT on January 12, 2019. 

In the clash of the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks, Bojan Bogdanović’s scored 15 points in the Pacers’ win, while Mario Hezonja scored 10 points in the Knicks’ loss. Ivica Zubac also scored 10 points in the defeat of his Los Angeles Lakers, though Dario Šarić had the worst evening of them all, and went without a point in the loss of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ante Žižic for the Cavs

Cleveland, the last team in the Eastern Conference, did not have a chance against the Houston Rockets who beat them 141:113. Ante Žižić played 24 minutes and was the best scorer of his defeated team, scoring 18 points (shots in play 6/8) with eight rebounds and two steals.

Houston was led by their most efficient player James Harden, who scored 43 points, making it his 13th game where he scored over 40 points. In addition to last night's 'triple-double,' Harden recorded ten rebounds and 12 assists.

Bogdanović v. Hezonja

The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks played at Madison Square Garden, though it was Bojan Bogdanvić's team to celebrate 121:106. Bogdanović was better than fellow countryman Mario Hezonja, scoring 15 points in 26 minutes (shots in play 5/12, three-pointers 3/5) with two rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Hezonja, the 23-year-old Dubrovnik native, played 30 minutes and achieved 10 points (shots in play 4/12, three-pointers 1/4), adding six rebounds, two assists, five steals, and one block.

Domantas Sabonis was the best shooter for the Pacers, with 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Victor Oladipo added 19 points. Emmanuel Mudiay was the best for New York, scoring all of his points (21) in the second half.

Dario Šarić goes without a single point

The Minnesota Timberwolves were defeated at home, and the Dallas Mavericks were better 119:115. Dario Šarić had one of his worst nights, and in his 19 minutes on the court, he went without a single point (shots in play 0/5, three-pointers 0/3), though he did achieve four rebounds and one assist.

The Dallas victory was marked by rookie player Luka Dončić who scored a three-pointer for the win 22.9 seconds before the end. He also scored 29 points and achieved 12 assists and eight rebounds. The Wolves were led by Karl-Anthony Towns who scored 30 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Ivica Zubac continues to get playing time at the Lakers

The Utah Jazz won at home against the Los Angeles Lakers 113:95. Ivica Zubac played 14 minutes, scoring 10 points with five rebounds, one assist, and one block. Donovan Mitchell was the best for Utah with 33 points and nine assists, while Michael Beasley was the best for the Lakers with 17 points.

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Bojan Bogdanović and Dario Šarić were again great for their teams last night, though both the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves were unable to pull a victory. The Houston Rockets, on the other hand, have set a new NBA record for the number of three-pointers scored, reports HRT on December 20, 2018. 

The Indiana Pacers played away in Toronto where they lost 99-96 to the Raptors. Fred VanVleet scored 25.9 seconds before the end for the Raptors’ win.

Toronto came back from 17 points behind. The team was led by Kawhi Leonard who scored 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals. Pascal Siakam added 17 points with seven rebounds, and Greg Monroe scored 13 points and eight rebounds.

The best for Indiana, who tallied their second defeat in a row, was Victor Oladipo with 20 points, while Bogdanović was the second best with 18 points in 33 minutes on the court (shots in play 7/13, three-pointers 3/6). Bogdanović added five rebounds, an assist and two steals.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were defeated at home 129-123 after the Detroit Pistons won in extra time. The best on the Pistons was Blake Griffin who finished with 34 points, and Reggie Bullock who had 33.

Andre Drummond, who scored 16 points and had the same number of rebounds, took the game to extra time after scoring in the final second of regular time. 

The best for Minnesota was Derrick Rose who scored 33 points and seven assists, while Robert Covington added 22. Dario Šarić, however, was excellent for the Timberwolves, scoring 15 points in 32 minutes on the court (shots in play 6/10, three-pointers 2/5), with six rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Mario Hezonja and Ante Žižić both had time on the court last night, while Dragan Bender did not play for the Phoenix Suns.

The New York Knicks suffered a defeat in Philadelphia, losing 131-110 to the 76ers. Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 24 points and 10 rebounds, which is his 28th double-double this season. Ben Simmons achieved his fourth triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Tim Hardaway Jr. was the most effective for New York with 27 points, while Hezonja scored only two from free throws in four minutes on the court.

The Charlotte Hornets were better than Cleveland Cavaliers, winning 110-99 at home. The Hornets were led by Kemba Walker who scored 30 points.

The Cavaliers were led by Jordan Clarkson who scored 20 points, while Ante Žižić scored seven (shots in play 3/4) with four rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes on the court. 

The Phoenix Suns played away in Boston to win 111-103. Not even Kyrie Irving could help the Celtics, who scored 29 points and ten assists.

The Houston Rockets set a new NBA record last night, according to the number of three-pointers achieved in a single game. In the 136-118 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards, the Rockets achieved 26 three-pointers out of 55 attempts.

James Harden finished the game with 35 points, of which six were three-pointers. Chris Paul scored 21 points with eight assists, and Clint Capel scored 20 points with 12 rebounds. The best for Washington was Bradley Beal with 28 points.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

A look at Croatia's NBA stars, including Dario Šarić, Bojan Bogdanović, Ante Žižić, Mario Hezonja, and Ivica Zubac. 

A look at Croatia's basketball stars in the NBA this weekend, including Bojan Bogdanović, Ivica Zubac, Dario Šarić, and Ante Žižić.

The most recent leg of the regular NBA league saw Croatian basketball players at the top.