Zubac (ribs) collected 24 points (10-13 FG, 4-5 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists and four blocks in 18 minutes during Croatia's 123-50 win over Cyprus on Friday.
Zubac sat out the final stretch of the NBA regular season due to an injury to his ribs, though he's healthy now and looked dominant in FIBA competition Friday. The veteran center is set to open the new year as Indiana's top center following an injury-plagued 2025-26 campaign, when he averaged 14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 30.1 minutes across 48 games for the Clippers and Pacers.
Zubac will miss the rest of the season with a fractured rib, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports Friday.
Based on the recovery timetable for a fractured rib, the Pacers didn't think Zubac would be 100 percent in time for their remaining regular-season games, and with nothing to play for, they have no incentive to rush him back. Since joining the Pacers, Zubac appeared in just five games with averages of 11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 23.6 minutes per contest. The veteran big man should have a relatively healthy offseason and be good to go for training camp next season.
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Pacers' Ivica Zubac: Fails to return from head contusion
Rotowire
Zubac left Wednesday's 127-119 loss to Portland with 10:44 remaining in the fourth quarter due to a head contusion and didn't return. He finished with 18 points (7-18 FG, 4-5 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and one block across 23 minutes.
Zubac was struck in the face and was labeled questionable to return to the contest, but he remained on the bench the rest of the way. Per Tony East of Forbes.com, Zubac said after the game that he's not following concussion protocol, which is an encouraging sign. Zubac will have a few days to recover before Indiana returns to action Saturday in San Antonio.
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