October 29, 2019 - Clippers center Ivica Zubac played the defensive game of his career, while Bojan Bogdanovic's stellar start continues for the Utah Jazz. 

After an unexpected defeat to the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Clippers responded much better at home, where they easily topped the Charlotte Hornets 111:96.

Croatian center Ivica Zubac finished the game with 7 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes in the ranks of the Clippers, but had the best defensive night of his career as he recorded five blocks during that period. He has never recorded more in a single NBA game, reported Index.hr.

.@ivicazubac is getting it done on both ends. ??

(? @FoxSportsWest) pic.twitter.com/2l8Qwn1P9S

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 29, 2019

The Clippers were led by a fantastic Kawhi Leonard with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Hornets were able to stay in the game until the end of the third quarter when the Clippers led by double-digits, though they were unable to return by the end of the match.

The Hornets thus recorded their third defeat in four games, while the Clippers reached their third win in four games.

Utah narrowly celebrated away at Phoenix on Monday night (96:95). Bojan Bogdanovic’s hot start continued in yet another excellent game in the Utah jersey. In 37 minutes on the court, he scored 29 points (4/5 two-pointers, 4/8 three-pointers, 9/9 free throws) with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. Dario Saric played 21 minutes for Phoenix and scored 4 points (0/1 two-pointers, 1/1 three-pointers, 1/2 free throws) with one rebound and three assists.

When we needed him most, Bogey answered.#PerformanceLeader | @Lexus ? pic.twitter.com/9CbbaMXhDD

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 29, 2019

San Antonio was better than Portland 113:110. Luka Samanic did not enter the game for San Antonio, and Mario Hezonja played 19 minutes for Portland and scored 8 points (0/2 two-pointers, 2/5 three-pointers, 2/2 free throws) with six rebounds, one assist, and one block.

Recall,  this comes two days after the biggest upset of the season so far, when Phoenix upset Los Angeles Clippers 130:122. Dario Saric had the better evening then and finished the game with a double-double (15 points and ten rebounds) in 34 minutes on the court, while Zubac added 7 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes, but only hit a weak one of four shots in play. 

Bogdanovic also led the Jazz with 26 points just two days ago against Sacramento, recording four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. He hit five of nine two-pointers, two three-pointers, and one free throw. And all this despite an ankle sprain, which he suffered in his debut for the new club on Thursday night. 

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October 27, 2019 - Bojan Bogdanovic led Utah Jazz to a win against the Sacramento Kings, while Dario Saric recorded a double-double in the Suns' win against Ivica Zubac's LA Clippers. 

Nine NBA games were played on Saturday night, of which the biggest surprise happened in Phoenix, where the Suns topped the favored Los Angeles Clippers 130:122.

Index.hr reports that it was a duel of two Croatian national team players as Dario Saric and Ivica Zubac hit the court. Saric had the better evening and finished the game with a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds) in 34 minutes on the court, while Zubac added 7 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes, but only hit a weak one of four shots in play. 

.@dariosaric tonight:
15 PTS
10 REBS
3 ASTS
2 STLS pic.twitter.com/ELz8PEmyFg

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 27, 2019

The Suns' best was Devin Booker with 30 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 27 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. This is the first time in Leonard’s career that he reached ten assists in a single game.

The Suns are certainly the most pleasant surprise of the season so far. Recall, in their season opener, they topped the Sacramento Kings, a team that is aiming for the playoffs this season, and then fell by a point to the Denver Nuggets, last year's semifinalists in the Western Conference. The Clippers are by many a major favorite for the title this season.

The Suns have not been in the playoffs since 2010 and are one of the worst NBA franchises in recent years. The season-to-season win-loss ratio is 40-42, 33-33 (shortened season due to lockouts), 25-57, 48:34, 39-43, 23-59, 24-58, 21-61 and 19 -63.

In his second Utah Jazz game, Bojan Bogdanovic proved why he is a considerable boost. Index.hr reports that in the win against Sacramento (113:81), Bogdanovic led the Jazz with 26 points. He also recorded four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. He hit five of nine two-pointers, two three-pointers, and one free throw.

?| “I think it was hard for him to watch last night knowing that he could impact the game. His teammates felt that too. They were able to find him and it’s fun playing that way when the ball is moving. He took great shots." -Quin Snyder

» https://t.co/ysHBljN3tn

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 27, 2019

And all this despite an ankle sprain, which he suffered in his debut for the new club on Thursday night. Because of swelling, Bogdanovic missed the fight against the Lakers two days later. Coach Snyder made the decision to release him before the start of the game - and because of his injury, Babo played under restraint and did all this in just 24 minutes on the court.

?| Bojan with 26 points on 5-of-9 from three#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/cKAiZHQaFf

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 27, 2019

Right from the start, he scored six points and then nailed a three-pointer for an 18-8 lead. Even then, Utah nearly settled the game, increasing their advantage by 35 at the end of the third quarter.

"He should keep taking some break games if he is going to come back like this," joked Mike Conley, Utah's other significant reinforcement this summer.

"He's a big part of our team, and when he goes, he goes. We play selflessly and constantly find him on the shot."

Jazz first star Donovan Mitchell scored 15 points and didn't mind being sidelined by the Croatian ace.

"It's great to see him so happy back on the court. He creates for himself and others, does a lot of things without the ball, pushes himself, draws a lot of attention and makes it easier for all of us," Mitchell said.

?| "We are moving the ball pretty well but once again, our defense was on point."

More postgame interviews on https://t.co/KRSCtZrI5D ? pic.twitter.com/2BG5b9aijh

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 27, 2019

On the other side was the NBA’s second Bogdanovic, the Serbian Bogdan, who was one of the Kings' best players with 10 points.

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October 23, 2019 - The 22-year old Croatian basketball player Ivica Zubac dreamt of playing for the local Brotnja team in his hometown of Čitluk in front of 1,000 people, but that never became a reality. Today, a different dream turned into reality.

First, Zubac was drafted in June 2016 to the Los Angeles Lakers, but now he is a member of their rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, and is ready to take the NBA by storm. 

Many NBA fans hadn’t heard of Ivica Zubac before 23 June 2016 when the Lakers selected the 7'1" center as the 32nd pick in the Draft, but this season he should be the Clippers' starting center. 

Zubac grew up in Citluk, a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina that is just east of the Croatian border. Even though he has duel citizenship, Zubac identifies 100 percent as a Croatian. 

"I live in the part of Bosnia-Herzegovina, where we are the only Croatians, and we are the proudest in the world," said Zubac for nba.com in February 2017. "Croatia means everything to us." 

At the age of 7, Zubac started practicing together with older kids up to age 15. Just like everyone from his town, he wanted to be just like Zoran Planinic, a former professional basketball player who played for the New Jersey Nets in the NBA and who happens to be Zubac’s second cousin on his father’s side. 

Soon enough, with a lot of practice, Zubac started playing really good and scoring 30 or 40 points per game for Brotnjo where he used to play as a youngster. His good performances didn’t go unnoticed as Cibona, a top Croatian League club, invited him to play in a tournament when he was 13. 

Zubac said in 2017: “So we went to a tournament in Hungary, and I didn't do much. I scored like two points in five games, and I was thinking, ‘Oh man, I didn't do good, they aren't going to take me.’ But then they called me for another tournament in the middle of the season and I played better. And then for another tournament, and I played better again. Then they asked me to move there and start high school in Croatia. 

When I started to play basketball, the gym in Citluk was always full of 1,000 people, and my only dream was to play in front of those people with Brotjo for the senior team.” 

Zubac didn’t start well as for his first two years, nobody paid attention to him. When he was 15, he started playing better. However, he had an injury and missed a year. He started slowly coming back at the age of 17 when Cibona loaned him to a Croatian First Division Team, Velika 

Gorica, where he averaged 16 or 17 points per game. He was brought back to Cibona on loan, but still didn’t play much. Unexpectedly, that summer came his arrival moment. 

Zubac explained two years ago: “I was supposed to be the backup center for the Croatian National Team at the Under 19 World Championships. But the expected starter got injured, and I started and played really good. I think I was the second or third scorer in the championships. We made it to the final and barely lost to the USA in overtime. After that, everybody knew. I realized, wow, I (really) can go to the NBA one day.” 

The following season, Cibona promised Zubac that he would play a lot, but he sprained his MCL and was out for two months. On his return, he didn’t play much, so he asked his agent to change the team, and in February 2016, Zubac joined Mega Leks in the Serbian League. A few months later, he entered the Draft, despite a lot of scouts telling him to stay one more year in Europe. 

“But I told my agent my dream was to play in the NBA, in the best league against the best players. I wanted to prove myself. And I didn't want to waste a year. A lot of things could happen. I could get injured, who knows? So I said I'm going to the NBA right now, as soon as they draft me,” Zubac said in 2017. 

Zubac was selected as the 32nd overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Lakers. On 7 July, he signed with the Lakers and joined the team for the 2016 NBA Summer League. In his rookie season, he started only 11 games but managed to write his name in the history books. 

On 13 March 2017, in a 129-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Zubac became the youngest player in the Lakers history with 25 points in a double-double. That night at the age of 19, he scored 25 points and made 11 rebounds and achieved history, but Zubac still put his team first. 

“The record means nothing, I scored 25, but we lost by 30 points. It does not mean anything. I would score 5 points and contribute to a win than score 25 and lose”, Zubac said that night. 

Two weeks later, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a high ankle sprain in his right ankle. The following season, Zubac had multiple assignments with the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers’ NBA G League affiliate, due to limited playing time in the regular season. 

In his last season for the Lakers, Zubac appeared in 33 games (12 starts), averaging career-highs in points (8.5), rebounds (4.9), field goal percentage (.580) and free-throw percentage (.864) in 15.6 minutes. 

However, the Croatian didn’t stick with Lakers for too long as the Clippers acquired him and forward Michael Beasley from Lakers in exchange for center Mike Muscala in February of this year. This season, Zubac should be the Clippers’ starting center and he already began the season on a positive note. In the last night’s opening game of the season, Zubac was a starter for the Clippers in their 112–102 win over his former team, Lakers. The Croatian had eight points on perfect 4/4 shooting in 10 minutes spent on the court.

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October 19, 2019 - Croatia has never boasted more representatives in the world’s strongest basketball league than they have this season. However, the season ahead will also be decisive for the careers of our Croats in the NBA.

At first glance, one would think that Croatian basketball is a superpower, and that’s no surprise - in the upcoming season, they will have a record seven players in the NBA. This number is even higher than the world champions of Spain. But apart from Bojan Bogdanovic and Dario Saric, who else should be on our radar?

Gol.hr and Vid Horvat take a closer look at Croats in the NBA for the 2019/20 season.

Bojan Bogdanovic
(30 years old, 6 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $17 million)

Bojan Bogdanovic has been awarded the contract of a lifetime ($73 million over four years) and will have the opportunity to play an important role in a very serious Western Conference team, something he has never encountered thus far in his career. Bogdanovic should automatically enter the starting lineup as the small forward, where he can play alongside Jeff Green or Royce O'Neal, but he can also be used as a low four.

Why is this an excellent acquisition for Utah? Coach Quin Snyder has had issues with outside shooters in recent seasons and with virtually no one other than Ingles and Jae Crowder to shoot from outside the wing. Bojan was Indiana's biggest offensive threat last season after an injury to Victor Oladipo. He shot an incredible 42.5 percent for three-pointers and had a record average of 18 points per game.

Bogdanovic is an expressive shooter who can play without the ball in his hands, and Utah needs that. But his repertoire doesn't just stop at a three-point shot. Last year, he showed that he could be an effective mid-range shooter and is aggressive in counters. He even improved his pick and roll play, but still worked on it this summer. For the past three seasons, Bogdanovic has been part of a playoff team, but has never been surrounded by such good teammates.

Playing with Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell with the possibility of adding a third ball-handler in the starting five offers plenty of options. Bogdanovic will be able to contribute to the team in many ways, but the most significant contribution is expected in the shooting department. 

Dario Saric
(26 years old, 4 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $3.5 million)

It is perhaps a pivotal NBA season for Saric, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. After Philadelphia, he was no longer part of a system he could take advantage of. Unlike the Wolves, Saric should be in a better position with the Phoenix Suns, though it will all depend on him. Unless he makes good use of the minutes given, he will quickly find himself in the rotation behind either Frank Kaminsky or Cameron Johnson.

Like in previous NBA seasons, Saric can fill the four position, where he is currently ahead of Kaminsky and Johnson. However, Saric did not do well with the Wolves and their offensive system, which favored pick and roll and had more critical players than him involved in the attack. But he finished the season with a percentage of 45.4 of shots in play and a three-pointer percentage of 38.3.

These numbers are welcome in Phoenix, but he needs continuity and to avoid slow entry, which has been the case in recent years. Why is this important? The threat to Saric's position is not only the high post, but also Kelly Oubre Jr., who played the best games in the Suns' jersey in the four position. This is one of the variants we can also expect. In that case, Mikal Bridges would fill the other wing.

The Suns finally have a playmaker, and that's the best news ahead of the new season. Ricky Rubio should make it easy for everyone, including Dario. Saric's virtues are imagination and low-post play, and if there is more of a team game than individual play, it should suit him. Because of his future contract, this season must be above average for Saric.

Ivica Zubac
(22 years old, 4 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $6.5 million)

No other Croatian basketball player profited from a trade like Ivica Zubac. He left the turbulent Lakers without having to change cities and eventually ended up in an elite squad who is a serious contender for the title, where the thinnest rotation is in his position. Specifically, Zubac should be the Clippers' starting center who won't be needed much on offense, and at the same time, be able to progress by playing alongside some of the best players in the league like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Given that Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams function brilliantly in the other starting five, Doc Rivers will not break the bench. This means that if he decides to go with the small-ball five, JaMychal Green will start instead of Zubac, who has a better three-point shot and more mobility than the Croatian center.

The good news is that Zubac has an enormous desire to thrive and work. He wanted to work with the Gasol brothers this summer, as he would like to one day play like Marc for the Toronto Raptors, primarily paying attention to rebounds, communication on defense, and expanding the court. Unfortunately, their schedules did not align. However, Zubac is already working on his three-point shot and has specific characteristics that can be exploited.

Among the 50 centers that defended at least 50 possessions last season, Zubac allowed the second-fewest points per possession and the second-lowest shot percentage. He is also offensively good at finishing around the hoop and can shoot from a distance. Still, as the Clippers enter the season as one of the biggest favorites for the title, the primary goal will not be player development, but finding the ideal starting five and rotations.

Mario Hezonja
(24 years old, 5 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $1.74 million)

It will be a fresh start for Hezonja, who is still young enough to fulfill his potential. But in Portland, things work a bit differently than with his former teams. For one, Hezonja has not been part of a playoff squad so far and has not played with such dominant players that build the offensive attacks. Hezonja will be part of the second lineup in which he will have enough minutes to become a standard part of the rotation and will not have two or three more players competing for his place.

However, he will need to hit more than the desperate three-pointer percentage of 27.6 and the modest 41 percent for shots in play he recorded with the Knicks. Both are among his worst statistics since he arrived in the NBA. Plus, he could have more than 1.5 assists per game, as he has shown he knows how to set up plays. Hezonja will not be the playmaker as he was for New York, but as a secondary playmaker from the wing positions.

In his first four NBA seasons, Hezonja played for two weak teams. This will be his first time to be among a better quality group of players, which means that constant changes in the rotation and inconsistency in minutes will be a thing of the past. Portland has a clear game system, which will undergo some adjustments, but the hierarchy is basically known.

Dragan Bender
(21 years old, 4 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $1.68 million)

Recall, Dragan Bender was close to the Euroleague and signed for CSKA, but found a spot at the Bucks in the final moments. The first reactions were not pleasant, and if he gets minutes, he’ll only be waiting for an open three-pointer shot. However, Bender is much more than that, and his talent should not be limited to a spot-up shooter or position player.

However, contrary to expectations, he made good use of the minutes gained in the preseason. Milwaukee has not made radical changes and has retained much of last year’s lineup. But Bender is at the turning point of his career and must prove himself on a contract that is only partially guaranteed this season and not guaranteed next year.

The former fourth pick of the 2016 draft is currently consistent with the opportunities he has been receiving. He scored double-digits in his first four preseason games. He averaged 13 points with shots in play percentage of 60.7 and an astounding 53.8 three-pointer percentage in just over 18 minutes on the court. When we add six more rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game, we get his best career numbers. But these are just preseason games.

Bender has a few players ahead of him in the four and five positions and is unlikely to get more minutes than Ersan Ilyas, who is among Budenholzer's favorites. However, the Bucks' system suits Bender so far, and he can get his chance. 

Ante Zižic
(22 years old, 3 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $2.28 million)

During his final interview with general manager Koby Altman after the season, Ante Zizic was given a summer plan that presented a path that would eventually break Cleveland's deep rotation in high positions, more specifically at the center. Because despite their weak roster, the Cavs have by far the most players who can cover the starting lineup, like Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr. and John Henson.

Considering that Love will be the starting four, there are again four players who need to split 48 minutes in the center. It will be important for Zizic not to look deep into the rotation, but to focus on himself. He will have to be ready to step up to any situation. According to recent information, he has worked hard this summer to get physically fit.

Last season, Zizic was at one point one of Cleveland's most productive players, but that was primarily due to injuries and the space that opened up. As soon as the Cavs were complete, Zizic lost his role. It's not going to be easy this year either, because there aren't many advantages over Thompson and Nance Jr.

Luka Samanic
(19 years old, rookie season, 19/20 contract worth $2.69 million)

Samanic is a gifted player who has arrived in the best possible environment to thrive. The San Antonio Spurs are known for their program with young players and recognizing talented Europeans, while during the Summer League, Samanic showed he has the potential to work with and meet modern requirements. Admittedly, Samanic has made a significant transition in his career. He went from the ABA league to the strongest league in the world and is expected to be gradually introduced into the process.

The former Barcelona and Olimpija player will need time to develop, and will begin in the G-League with the Austin Spurs. However, it is not impossible to see him on the first-team bench for the first time. His style of play is similar to Lauri Markkanen's, a great example of how modern wing center should look. Both are light on their feet, have proper shooting mechanics, and can expand the court. 

Samanic has already shown the prospect of one day becoming an outstanding shooter, but there are more elements to work on. To fulfill his potential, he will need to be able to put up solid blocks, be dangerous with the ball, and hit open shots for three-pointers. In addition, he showed aggression in his dribbling and is quick in catch-and-shoot situations. For starters, it will be important to gain mass and transition as painlessly as possible.

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October 18, 2019 - Croatian basketball player Mario Hezonja was the Portland Trail Blazers' top scorer in a 104-110 defeat to the Denver Nuggets in the last preseason game before the regular NBA season begins.

Gol.hr writes that Hezonja scored 18 points in 28 minutes on the court with 6/11 shots in play and 3/4 for three-pointers. He also achieved five rebounds, six assists, and one block. The best for Denver was Will Barton and Paul Millsap, who each scored 13 points. This is Portland's third defeat in five preseason games.

This is the most graceful and 1 we've ever seen. @mariohezonja | #RipCity pic.twitter.com/FRNt6ZJ47n

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 18, 2019

''I'm by no means happy with the team's defensive reaction. Hezonja taught us a lesson,” Denver coach Mike Malone said after the game.

In the five preseason games, Hezonja averaged 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists with a shooting percentage of 50%. However, most important is that he’s made his role clear on the team and guaranteed minutes in the rotation.

Ivica Zubac and Dragan Bender also hit the NBA court on Thursday night. In the LA Clippers defeat to the Dallas Mavericks (87-102), Zubac booked 16 minutes on the court, scored two points (shots in play 1/3 shot), and recorded three rebounds and one assist.

The Clippers' top scorer was Montrezl Harell with 14 points, while Dallas was led by Kristaps Porzingis and Justin Jackson with 18 points. Luka Doncic added 15. In the NBA preseason, the Clippers have two wins and three losses. 

Dragan Bender had a weak night in the Milwaukee Bucks' 118-96 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the three minutes he spent on the court, he only registered one block. Giannis Antetokounmpo, with 26 points, was the best for the Bucks, who had five wins in five preseason games.

Croatian basketball player Bojan Bogdanovic had a tough shooting night in the 118-126 home defeat of the Utah Jazz against the Portland Trail Blazers in their last preseason game on Wednesday.  Bogdanovic started the game in Utah's top five and was on the court for 25 minutes, where he missed all nine shots in play (0-4 for two-pointers, 0-5 for three-pointers), hitting just one free throw with one assist.

The regular NBA season begins on October 22, 2019. 

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The 22-year-old Ivica Zubac will fight for the NBA title next season with the Los Angeles Clippers, after deciding to extend his contract with the Western Conference team to four years and $28 million.

The news was released by Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday evening Croatian time, though it was anticipated, given that Zubac did not have an offer on the market. Since the Clippers also signed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, they are a serious contender for the NBA title this season, reports Sportske Novosti on July 6, 2019. 

Thus, by signing the promising young Croatian representative, the Clippers have come one step closer to completing their team for the next season, as there are now ten players in the roster who can be seriously rotated.

Zubac moved to the Clippers in February after he was part of a trade deal that offered Zubac and Michael Beasley to the Clippers for Mike Muscala. The controversial move by Lakers’ president Magic Johnson was highly criticized by numerous analysts. 

This was especially true when the talent from Čitluk wasted no time fitting into Doc Rivers’ squad, where he was given 20.2 minutes per game and gave Rivers a 'thank you' in return by scoring an average of 9.4 points, with 53.8 percent of shots in play and 7.7 rebounds. 

This is a great rich guy tweet from @ivicazubac pic.twitter.com/pRhGFbp6DK

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) July 6, 2019

Although he had fewer minutes in the playoffs, and ultimately fell out of the rotation after the third game in the series against the Warriors as Rivers was forced to play with a different composition for better matchups, it did not mean that the Clippers lost faith in their starting center, which is confirmed by this contract. 

Zubac’s new payday is surpassed only by Croatian NBA players Bojan Bogdanović, who will make over $73 million for four years at Utah Jazz, and Toni Kukoč, who in 2000 signed a four-year deal with Philadelphia for $29 million and in 1994 signed with Chicago for six years at $26 million.

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The regular season of the NBA league is now over, and Croatia will have two representatives in the playoffs - Bojan Bogdanović and Ivica Zubac.

Mario Hezonja played another great game in the New York Knicks jersey. The Croatian basketball player found a place in the starting lineup and made his debut as a point guard for the New York club. But better yet, he also achieved the first triple-double of his career against James Harden's Houston Rockets, reports Gol.hr on April 6, 2019. 

Apart from making his debut as the Knicks’ point guard on Friday night, with a spot in the starting five, Mario Hezonja achieved the first triple-double of his career with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. The Knicks’ might have lost to the Houston Rockets (120:96), but it’ll be a game Hezonja will remember for a lifetime.

"Super Mario" has thus become only the second player in Knicks’ history with at least 16/16/11 in a single game. Before he was only Richie Guerin in 1957. It was also the first triple-double of a Knicks’ player after Jarrett Jack’s on January 11, 2018, and he even became the first Croatian after Toni Kukoč with a triple-double performance. 

"He had a great game, organized us, called for real attacks, attacked when he had to attack and did a great job on rebounds,” Knicks coach David Fizdale said.

Harden had a relatively quiet evening for his standards lately. He still scored 26 points and eight assists in just 29 minutes on the court, while Chris Paul (11 points, 10 assists) and Clint Capela (12 points, 15 rebounds) achieved double-doubles.

Hezonja was given a chance to start as the point guard as Emmanuel Mudiay is out for a left shoulder injury. Hezonja showed he was indeed worthy of his spot on the Knicks' team. 

Dario Šarić scored 19 points (4/6 for two-pointers, 2/4 for three-pointers, 5/5 free throws) in the Minnesota Timberwolves' win against Miami Heat (111:109).

Ante Žižić scored 12 points with six rebounds in the Cleveland Cavaliers' close defeat to the Western Conference leader Golden State Warriors, led by Steph Curry with 40 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The Warriors celebrated 120:114.

Dragan Bender’s Phoenix Suns won against the New Orleans Pelicans after extra time 133:126 (117-117). The Croatian scored 11 points and added six assists and 10 rebounds. The most efficient was Jackson with 35 points, nine assists and five rebounds.

Ivica Zubac scored 11 points in the derby of the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers and added eight rebounds. 

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Ivica Zubac and his Los Angeles Clippers have moved into 5th place in the NBA's Western Conference, which secures them a spot in the playoffs. 

The Los Angeles Clippers celebrated at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks 124:113 in the first match of the Sunday NBA program. In the battle of two Croatian basketball players, Clippers’ center Ivica Zubac was better than Marijo Hezonja, reports Index.hr on March 24, 2019. 

Both were members of their team’s starting lineup on Sunday. Zubac spent 20 minutes in the game, and during that time scored 10 points with 4/5 shots in play, ten rebounds, one assist, and one block. Hezonja was on the court for 25 and a half minutes, scoring six points (2/9 shots in play, 0/3 three-pointers), and added five rebounds, three assists, and one block.

The Clippers’ 44th win this season was led by Lou Williams who scored 29 points and seven assists, Danilo Gallinari with 26 points and eight rebounds and Montrezl Harrell with 24 points. In their 60th defeat this season, Knight Emmanuel Mudiay scored 26 points, and DeAndre Jordan had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks. 

The Clippers have almost and theoretically secured the playoffs while New York is at the bottom of the charts with convincingly the worst record in the NBA league this season.

In other NBA news, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dario Šarić defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 112:99, while the Croatian basketball player participated with 11 points (shots in play 3/9, three-pointers 3/6), four rebounds, three assists, and one steal and one block.

The top scorer for Minnesota, which broke a series of five defeats, was Karl-Anthony Towns with 33 points and 23 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 22 points and Josh Okogie 17. Mike Conley led Memphis with 23 points.

The Phoenix Suns and Dragan Bender recorded another defeat over the weekend, losing 112:103 to the Sacramento Kings. Bender, who played in the starting lineup, hit four baskets (shots in play 2/6, three-pointers 0/3) in 36 minutes on the court, adding four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Bojan Bogdanović had another stellar game over the weekend, scoring 35 points in his Pacers’ win against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. The Croatian also added six rebounds and three assists. Ante Žižić’s Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 127:105. 

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