Ivica Zubac didn’t particularly light the box score up on Thursday. However, his defensive effort, particularly on Nikola Jokic, proved to be invaluable. Directly impacting the LA Clippers’ 111-105 Game 6 win over the Denver Nuggets, Zubac was lauded by many analysts and fans, including Kendrick Perkins.

After the LA Clippers forced a Game 7, Perkins praised Ivica Zubac’s heroic defensive performance in a post on X/Twitter:

“Very Impressive Defensive performance tonight by Zubac!!! His individual Defense against Jokic is some of the best defense I’ve seen,” Perkins showered LA’s center with lofty compliments.

As the LA Clippers‘ primary defender on Jokic, Zubac played a crucial role in limiting the three-time MVP’s impact. In the second half, Jokic was restricted to just five points and two rebounds while shooting 2-for-9 from the field.

Game 6 marked the first time in the series that Jokic failed to notch at least a double-double, finishing with 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Each of these stats is lower than his averages from the previous five games of the series.

Apart from three blocks and a steal, Ivica Zubac finished the night with 10 points and six rebounds on a highly efficient 83.3% shooting.

Ivica Zubac was praised by Nikola Jokic before playoffs

Ivica Zubac improved by leaps and bounds during the 2024-2025 season, making it the best campaign of his nine-year career. Zubac’s improvements were even acknowledged by Nikola Jokic ahead of the 2025 playoffs.

“He was kind of one-dimensional before,” Jokic said via DNVR Nuggets. “But now he can post up, he can pass from the pocket. He’s really evolving his game. He’s a really good defender…it’s going to be a fun matchup.”

For the first time in his career, Zubac averaged a double-double with 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds for the entirety of the regular season. The Bosnian national also posted career highs in assists and steals per game.

However, Zubac wasn’t named as the 2025 Most Improved Player. He finished as the runner-up behind Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels (332), receiving 186 total points.

Zubac carried his impressive form to the postseason, as he has been one of the major contributors for LA, averaging 18.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.9 ‘stocks’ (steals+blocks).

Game 7 between the LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets will play out at Ball Arena on Saturday.