How boldly taking the ball out of Nikola Jokić's hands in crunch time clinched Game 5 for the Nuggets ... With Harden on Jokić, however, the much bigger Ivica Zubac is on Westbrook.

Denver power forward Aaron Gordon passed the ball to three-time MVP Nikola Jokić. The Clippers had their ideal defender on Jokić, center Ivica Zubac, while Kawhi Leonard was on Jamal Murray.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who stands at 7-feet and 240 pounds, defended Jokić as well as anybody during the regular season. He continued to limit Jokić on Monday while holding the MVP ...

A few possessions later, as Jokić was driving toward the rim with Ivica Zubac guarding him, it looked like Zubac caught contact with Jokić's arm, which would normally be a foul call.

Did Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers tame Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets? By ... Leonard leading LA’s Game 2 victory, how problematic Ivica Zubac’s defense could be for Jokić going ...

(Top photo of Nikola Jokić being guarded by Ivica Zubac in Game 3: Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images) Tony Jones is a Staff Writer at The Athletic covering the Utah Jazz and the NBA.

With the game tied at 99 with just more than six seconds left to play, the Nuggets inbounded the ball to center Nikola Jokić, who was guarded by Clippers center Ivica Zubac. Jokić took several ...

A starting five of all bigs in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Steven Adams, Ivica Zubac and Zach Edey would have trouble spacing the floor and dealing with quicker guards in an NBA game.

Jokić assisted him on 168 baskets this season, the second most of any duo in the league, according to Second Spectrum. They trail only the LA Clippers’ James Harden and Ivica Zubac. Advertisement ...

It wasn’t that Jokić wasn’t very good in a 105-102 loss to the LA Clippers in Monday night’s Game 2 at a packed Ball Arena. It wasn’t that Jokić wasn’t the best player on the floor.

The only players remaining from that 2020 series are Clippers Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac and Amir Coffey; and Nuggets Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Vlatko Čančar.

They trail only the LA Clippers’ James Harden and Ivica Zubac. That’s not only a Jokić stat but a Braun one, too. He upped his scoring in transition this season, understanding when to leak ...