Ivica Zubac Admits Mexico City Altitude Will ‘Bother’ Pacers Against Nuggets

Ivica Zubac returned from a left ankle sprain Wednesday in Memphis. His second game back comes Saturday at Arena CDMX, where the Indiana Pacers face the Denver Nuggets at roughly 7,350 feet above sea level.

That is about 2,000 feet higher than Denver, where the Nuggets play their home games. Indiana practiced in the arena Friday morning. Kelly Oubre Jr. said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle had the group run sprints to get ready for the thin air.

"It's tough," Zubac said. "It was already tough playing in Denver. So this being higher is definitely going to be something that we've got to think about, something that's going to bother us. But you've got to push through it and play through it, play hard. And that's it. You can't get around it."

Zubac sprained the ankle in Indiana's 136-109 win at the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 25. He had played in the first three games of the season and then sat out five straight.

He went back into the starting lineup Wednesday in Memphis. In a 107-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, he had one point, four rebounds, and two assists. He did not make any of his five shots.

Zubac wants everyone back so Indiana can finally start getting some wins.

"It was good, man," Zubac explained. "It's never easy going through losing streaks. We wanted to get a win and we got one. No matter how the game looked, we got a win. That's what matters, and it's a step in the right direction. So just got to keep building. We're slowly getting guys back, so it's only going to get better from this."

The win snapped a five-game losing streak and moved Indiana to 3-6. Andrew Nembhard scored 22, Pascal Siakam had 20, and six Pacers reached double figures. Indiana forced 19 Memphis turnovers and scored 24 points off them.

Zubac said Indiana wants Tyrese Haliburton back as soon as possible, but wants him fully healed first. Haliburton stayed home for treatment on a left hamstring strain and will miss his sixth straight game Saturday.

"[We've] got to stay together," Zubac said. "We've got a great group of guys and coaches, and we have a system in place that no matter who plays, we're trying to play the same way. So we're just trying to stay together, [do] the things that they want us to do, and go from there. Injuries are something that you cannot control, so you just got to play through it, and hopefully we'll get everyone back soon."

Obi Toppin also returned Wednesday after missing three games with a lumbar sprain. Kelly Oubre Jr. and T.J. McConnell carry questionable tags into Saturday. Ben Sheppard and Johnny Furphy are out.

Indiana acquired Zubac and forward Kobe Brown from the LA Clippers on Feb. 5, sending Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks, and a second-round pick to Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Zubac 32nd overall in 2016 and traded him to the Clippers in February 2019.

Zubac had visited Mexico before this week but had never been to Mexico City.

"I love Mexican people," Zubac said. "I spent a lot of years in LA, so I have a lot of Mexican friends over there. And I always admire the Mexican culture. So, big fan of the country and people here. So, looking forward for it."

The Spanish he knows is mostly words he picked up in Los Angeles that he would not repeat on camera, he said.

Growing up in Europe, Zubac played on teams that crossed borders for games all the time.

"Just never being in Mexico City, just seeing this big city, just experiencing something new," Zubac said. "So I'm looking forward. Today, we have a lot of free time to just kind of go in the city, see some stuff, and very excited."

Zubac is not on Indiana's injury report for Saturday. Denver's projected starting center is Nikola Jokić, who posted a 32-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist triple-double Wednesday in a 128-109 win over the Toronto Raptors. It was his third in seven games.

This is Denver's second trip to Mexico. The Nuggets played a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors there in 2006. Tip-off Saturday is 5 p.m. ET on NBA TV.