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Trailing 1-0 in the series, the Los Angeles Clippers are set to face off against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, continuing their best-of-seven playoff battle.
Following a team practice on Sunday, Ivica Zubac, who recorded a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s game in Denver, shared his thoughts on matching up against Nikola Jokic in the 2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google.
“It’s exciting to compete against one of the league’s elite players,” remarked the 28-year-old Croatian center during a media briefing. “I enjoy physical contests, and he always brings that intensity. He gives his all every single possession. It’s definitely a significant challenge for me.”
Both the Clippers and Nuggets concluded the 2024-25 Regular Season with matching 50-32 records, but a tiebreaker determined home-court advantage for the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
“We had a great opportunity to secure a win on their court but ended up hampering ourselves with turnovers and allowing too many offensive rebounds towards the end. It felt like we let it slip away,” Zubac reflected on the opening game of the series. “We’ve shown what we can achieve when we’re performing at our peak. There are plenty of positives we can draw from Game 1.”
“It all comes down to matchups. You need to stay focused on all defensive strategies. It’s a completely different ballgame compared to the Regular Season,” he emphasized the need for a different mindset in the playoffs. “There are numerous strategies to juggle, and you have to concentrate on so many elements simultaneously.”
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