INGLEWOOD — Veteran point James Harden noticed Ivica Zubac getting treatment Thursday morning ahead of their game against the Lakers and saw an opportunity to speak up, so he approached the Clippers’ center with a message.
“I basically told him we need a 20 (-point) and 15 (-rebound) game from him tonight and to be physical down around the basket and finishing around the rim, dunking the basketball,” Harden said.
Zubac listened carefully to Harden’s words and turned them into one of his most dominating performances of the season. He posted 18 points and 19 rebounds, 10 of which were offensive boards, and one steal in the Clippers’ 112-104 victory against the Lakers at Intuit Dome. His offensive rebounds were more than the entire Lakers’ total (six).
“He gave me some motivation for the game,” Zubac said. “Those were a few motivating factors tonight, but glad we got a win.”
Coach Tyronn Lue was not aware of his players’ interaction before that game but encouraged Harden to speak up.
“Tell him (Harden) to tell him (Zubac) again,” Lue said after Saturday’s practice. “And again, tomorrow and the next day. And the next day.”
Zubac will have plenty more chances to step up as the Clippers (20-24) head out on a three-game trip after Sunday’s home game against the Brooklyn Nets (12-31).
The 7-footer had been playing well, posting three consecutive double-doubles before Thursday’s game, but not having the kind of game where he dominates.
Lue said he was not surprised by the center’s performance. In fact, he was expecting something big from Zubac after warmups.
“It’s crazy because before the game he said he felt good. He’s been dealing with the ankle, dealing with the knee, and so before the game I said, ‘Man, how you feel?’ He said, ‘Man, I feel the best I have felt in a long time. I feel really good,’” Lue said. “And you saw he had a lot of pop, offensive rebounds, just on the floor and he just felt like he had more bounce than he had in the previous game. So that was good to see.”
Zubac suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain in the first quarter against the Lakers on Dec. 20. He fell to the court and hobbled to the locker room. The prognosis was for Zubac to be out for three weeks; he was back in the lineup after two weeks.
He said he worked hard to return to the lineup, but Zubac’s first game back wasn’t noteworthy, posting four points, seven rebounds and one blocked shot in a 146-115 loss to the Boston Celtics.
Zubac, though, has bounced back quickly and is averaging 11.1 rebounds, which ranks third in the NBA, and shooting 60.3% from the field. And with his 19 rebounds Thursday, the big man now has 4,718 rebounds to surpass Elton Brand (4,710) for second place on the franchise’s career rebounds list. DeAndre Jordan holds the franchise mark with 7,988.
“His ability to clean up missed shots around the basket, and a couple kickouts for threes, they (Lakers) were going small and I thought Zu did a really good job of just showing his presence as a big man,” Lue said. “It was huge for us.”
Turned out, all Zubac needed was a bit of verbal motivation.
Brooklyn at Clippers
When: 6 p.m. Sunday
Where: Intuit Dome
TV/Radio: FDSN SoCal/AM 570