Zubac Dominates as Croatia Take Down Israel, as Other Pacers Excel in International Play

Ivica Zubac Dominates In Blowout Win Over Israel

Indiana Pacers big man, Ivica Zubac, is back healthy and playing well for the Croatian National Team. After dominating Cyprus on Friday, July 3, Big Zu and company were back at it again, this time taking down Israel 103-75.

In this game, Big Zu lived inside the paint, connecting on 87.5% of his shots, going 7-8 from the field for 18 points. He didn't just impact the game from a scoring persepctive, he was a force on the glass, corralling 10 rebounds. However, the most impressive stat of the day was his 4 assists, proving that he is a capable secondary playmaker out of the low and high post.

In the 28-point victory, Zubac finished the game with a positive plus-minus of +23. In the highlight package shared on YouTube, the second made basket for Zubac came off an incredible pass from the former No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Mario Hezonja. As Hezonja was cutting to the basket, as soon as the ball reached his hands, he touch-passed it to Zubac behind his head for the easy dunk.

This play had the announcers "ooing and ahhing" at the flashy pass, but for Pacers fans who observed the highlight on social media, it got them thinking about how special Haliburton and Zubac will be together. Hezonja and Zubac have played on the National Team together for 10 years, highlighting their chemistry, but the alertness by Big Zu to be ready for a pass like that, and to have the soft hands to grab it and flush it, highlights why the Pacers were so eager to acquire him at the trade deadline.

Andrew Nembhard's Solid Performance Against Jamaica

In just twenty-one minutes of play, Andrew Nembhard scored 14 points for Team Canada, shooting 8-12 from the field. He also added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 0 turnovers in this outing.

Nembhard had a beautiful full-court pass -- after collecting a pass that had been tipped by his teammate -- throwing a touchdown over the Jamaican defense, finding Leonard Miller for the two-handed flush. Later in the second half, Nembhard found Miller again streaking wide-open down the court, leading to an uncontested two-handed slam.

Team Canada wiped the floor with Team Jamaica, winning 116-78 and improving to 6-0.

Ethan Thompson Shines Versus Bahamas

Ethan Thompson Drives Versus Team Canada | FIBA

After a tough matchup against Canada on Friday, the Puerto Rico National Team had a terrific victory over the Bahamas, winning 115-91. Two-way guard for the Indiana Pacers, Ethan Thompson, played a total of 28 minutes and 32 seconds, and was terrific on both sides of the ball.

Thompson connected on 7-13 field goals (57.1%), scoring 17 points. He also dished out 4 assists, and collected 3 rebounds. Defensively, he was disruptive, taking the ball away 4 times, which was over half of the total steals made by the entire team (7).

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