Zubac effective albeit a ‘bit tired’

Unlike the last two Lakers games in which he played, Ivica Zubac got meaningful minutes with the Lakers on Sunday. That was part of a plan. “We’ve been talking as a staff to try and find some way to get Zu some minutes,” Lakers Coach Luke Walton said. “We feel like he’s earned them. He’s been busting his butt in the D-League games for us.

“In practice he looked really good. In the games, every time he gets an opportunity he looks good. It’s only right — when someone’s working like that and playing like that — to try and get him some minutes when the opportunity presents itself.”

That opportunity came late in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 10297 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

When backup center Tarik Black suffered an injury to his left ankle and had to leave the game, Walton turned to his rookie second-round pick.

There were 2 minutes 35 seco nds remaining in the third quarter and the Lakers trailed by two. Zubac blocked a shot attempt by Pistons center Andre Drummond as soon as he entered the game.

He finished the game with four points, five rebounds, an assist, two blocked shots and a turnover.

It wrapped a busy two days for Zubac, who played in three games during that span. He played two minutes for the Lakers in their loss to the Clippers on Saturday.

That was a day game, so the Lakers assigned him to their Development League team, the DFenders, for a Saturday night game in which he also played. He became the third player in Lakers history to play in an NBA game and a DLeague game on the same day, joining Jordan Farmar and Coby Karl.

The Lakers then recalled Zubac in time for him to play Sunday night.

“I am a little bit tired, but I prepared for this,” Zubac said. “I’m going to get through this. I was prepared and just waiting for my chance.”

Minutes not guaranteed

Walton uses playing time late in games as a carrot for his players.

“None of this is guaranteed,” Walton said on how he decides his closing group. “Whoever is bringing it and whoever is playing hard and playing the way we want to play, is gonna be in at the end of the game.

Sometimes ... we’ll go back to other people to give them opportunities. If a group doesn’t look great together and, say, Julius [Randle] is having a bad game, we’ll go back to Julius because we need him to experience what it’s like in the final two minutes and get that in-game experience. For the most part, if a group is rolling, we’re gonna let them roll.”

Walton keeps an eye toward experience, particularly with the young players.

“I think the intensity builds, of course, your energy goes sky high in the building and it’s time to lock up and have a more focused level in the game,” rookie Brandon Ingram said. “So I think especially maybe in the last three minutes of the game, we’ll be more focused in guarding our guy, helping other guys and of course moving the ball.”

Etc.

After being examined during the game, Black told Walton he was ready to return despite suffering an ankle injury. The injury is not to the same ankle that caused him to sit out several games in December. … Guard Jordan Clarkson left the game because of an ankle injury as well. He played 23 minutes 32 seconds and scored 16 points. Clarkson is now averaging 17 points over the last three games on 21-for-37 shooting.