Ivica Zubac achieved a major personal milestone by logging his very first triple-double – 20 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-best 10 assists – in the Los Angeles Clippers’ victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
The final assist, a key moment in the game, came when Zubac set up Bogdan Bogdanovic for a clutch three-pointer late in the contest.
Interestingly, the big man nearly missed the opportunity to notch that historic stat line. He revealed to Los Angeles Times reporter Broderick Turner that he had to make a quick call on whether to stay in the game or be subbed out.
“I wanted it,” Zubac said. “T. Lue (coach Tyronn Lue) wanted to sub me out, then everyone was like, ‘No, no, no.’ He asked me and I was like, ‘I’ll stay.’ I wanted it. I told Bogie ‘I’ll get it to you and you got to shoot it no matter what,’ and he did. Bogie is a big-time shot maker. So, I told him he’s never paying for dinner again. I’m glad he made that shot.”
In other words, Zubac made it clear he wasn’t leaving the floor without locking in that triple-double. Despite Coach Lue’s initial plan to rest him, teammates and coaches encouraged him to go for it.
He gave Bogdanovic a heads-up that he’d be dishing the ball to him and insisted he take the shot no matter what. Bogie delivered, sealing Zubac’s moment of glory and earning himself a lifetime of free dinners in the process.
The win also marked the Clippers’ sixth straight, keeping them neck-and-neck with the Denver Nuggets for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference.
Pacific Notes: Zubac, Monk, Warriors Loss, Podziemski https://t.co/d9rs55997m pic.twitter.com/n8JbczFVlY
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 10, 2025
