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.

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

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.

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

The Los Angeles Lakers are no less glamorous than Hollywood, and the current star of this basketball blockbuster is the young Croatian center Ivica Zubac. 

The 21-year-old Ivica Zubac played the best game of his season for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

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.