Ivica Zubac kept rolling for Croatia, and this time Israel was the team that had no answer.
After Croatia handled Cyprus on Friday, July 3, they came back and beat Israel 103-75, with Zubac doing the heavy lifting in the middle. He was efficient all night, knocking down 7 of 8 shots for 18 points.
He also controlled the boards with 10 rebounds and added 4 assists, a reminder that he can do more than finish plays around the rim. Zubac finished with a plus-minus of +23 in the 28-point win.
One of the game’s best moments came on a slick feed from Mario Hezonja, the former No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. As Hezonja cut toward the basket, he delivered a behind-the-head touch pass to Zubac for an easy dunk.
The highlight drew plenty of reaction from the announcers, and it also sparked some thoughts among Pacers fans watching online about how well Haliburton and Zubac could fit together. Hezonja and Zubac have now shared the national team stage for 10 years, and the play showed just how sharp that connection has become.
Andrew Nembhard also turned in a strong showing for Team Canada in a 116-78 win over Team Jamaica. In 21 minutes, he scored 14 points on 8-of-12 shooting while adding 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and no turnovers.
He helped fuel the break with a full-court pass after securing a tipped ball, finding Leonard Miller for a two-handed finish. Later in the second half, Nembhard hit Miller again for another uncontested dunk as Miller raced ahead of the defense.
Canada moved to 6-0 with the win.
Ethan Thompson was just as sharp for Puerto Rico in a 115-91 victory over the Bahamas. After a tough matchup against Canada on Friday, Puerto Rico responded with a strong all-around performance, and Thompson was right in the middle of it.
The Pacers two-way guard played 28 minutes and 32 seconds, scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, and added 4 assists and 3 rebounds. He also made his presence felt defensively, finishing with 4 steals, more than half of Puerto Rico’s 7 as a team.
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Pacers Avoided The Haliburton Siakam Cap Squeeze Haunting Contenders
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That matters because the league keeps offering reminders of how quickly things can get tight once a pair of stars starts eating up too much of the payroll. Clevelands recent Donovan Mitchell extension and Bostons decision to move Jaylen Brown both underscore the risk, while Indiana has another layer of protection built in since the real pressure from those deals does not arrive until 2028-29. The Pacers may still have to navigate what Siakam looks like later in the contract, but for now they have avoided the kind of cap trap that haunts so many hopefuls. [Read more 🡒]