Ivica Zubac makes Pacers debut in loss to Suns. Losing streak reaches 11
· Yahoo Sports
INDIANAPOLIS — Devin Booker scored 43 points and Jalen Green scored 36 points to lead the Suns to a 123-108 win over the Pacers in Ivica Zubac's first game in the Indiana lineup on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers lost their 11th straight game and fell to 15-51 and are in last place in the NBA. The Suns have won four straight and improved to 39-27.
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Forward Royce O'Neale added 15 points with five 3-pointers for the Suns. Guard Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 23 points. Forward Jarace Walker had 12 points and Ethan Thompson had 11. Zubac had eight points, six rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes, playing only in the first half on a minutes restriction.
Here are three observations.
Ivica Zubac strong in Pacers debut
More than a month after he was acquired in a trade for the Clippers with Kobe Brown for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and three draft picks, Zubac finally donned a Pacers jersey and played in a game after spending the last month healing a sprained left ankle. He was on a minutes restriction and didn't appear in the second half, but his limited time on the floor provided a summary the reasons the Pacers were so devoted to getting him at the trade deadline and why they believe in him as their long-term answer at center.
Zubac scored eight points on 4 of 6 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists in 16 minutes, and almost everything he did was highlight worthy. His first assist was a slick bounce pass out of a double team to guard Thompson for a pull-up jumper. His second came when he grabbed an offensive rebound over two Suns defenders, pivoted through them and hit forward Jarace Walker diving to the rim for a dunk. His first field goal was a dunk on an alley-oop from Thompson. His other field goals were all hooks and floaters but showed good touch out to 10 feet.
Beyond that, his effect on the game as a screener was immense. Andrew Nembhard's 23-point effort had a lot to do with the space and gravity the 7-foot, 240-pound Zubac created every time he set a ball screen. He brings more physical force to the game than any center the Pacers have had in years but he also has exceptional vision and feel for the game. There won't be too much payoff for that this season, but his potential value to a fully healthy Pacers squad was clear.
Andrew Nembhard goes off in first half, doesn't return in second
Zubac's gravity helped Nembhard more than anybody as the fourth-year guard used the space to have one of his best and most efficient scoring nights of the season. And he only played the first half.
Nembhard scored 23 points on 6 of 7 shooting, hit both of his 3-point attempts and sunk 9 of 10 free throws in 17 first-half minutes. He also dished out two assists and recorded a steal. He had a ton of space to shoot on the 3s, he fought his way to two mid-range shots and also got all the way to the rim for two more including one a steal for a fast-break layup.
Neither Nembhard nor Zubac played any second-half minutes. There was no injury designation for Nembhard's removal but he was listed as questionable with low back and neck soreness coming into the game and has been dealing with that issue for some time. (And also the Pacers are in last place in the East and contending for draft lottery position.)
Devin Booker, Jalen Green too much for remaining Pacers
The Pacers were already playing without All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, forward Aaron Nesmith and guards T.J. McConnell and Quenton Jackson due to injuries on Thursday night — and are of course still missing Tyrese Haliburton and Johnny Furphy due to their season-ending injuries. So when Nembhard and Zubac didn't return for the second half, the Pacers had very much a skeleton crew remaining. Rookie guard Kam Jones, two-way contract guard Thompson, Walker, Brown and Jay Huff took the floor as the starting five for the second half. The remaining bench included guard Ben Sheppard, two-way contract guard Taelon Peter, two-way forward Jalen Slawson and center Micah Potter. For most of the second half, the Pacers effectively played a G League caliber lineup.
That group actually did better than expected, especially in the third quarter when they were only outscored 29-27 and at one point were within two points of the lead. Even in the fourth quarter it never got totally out of hand. In just his second game with the Pacers since his Exhibit 10 contract with the Boom was upgraded to a two-way deal, Slawson scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists and grabbed two steals. Thompson scored 11 points. Walker had 12 points. Jay Huff had 10 and Ben Sheppard had 10.
The Suns, however did not pull any of their stars and they performed like superstars. Five-time All-Star Devin Booker went off for 43 points on 14 of 31 shooting including 4 of 7 from 3-point range and 11 of 11 free throws. Jalen Green, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, scored 36 points on 14 of 23 shooting. Those two combined for 43 in the second half with Green scoring 22 and Booker 21 and that was enough to put the game away.
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Suns vs Pacers score today, Ivica Zubac debut, Andrew Nembhard injury