Ivica Zubac has spent two decades in basketball, from the hills of Zagreb, Croatia, to the beaches of Los Angeles, and still never once in a giant’s life has he played as a guard.

Never once been the one, on defense, getting screened. Never once been the man at the point of attack. Never once been the one chasing around pindowns.

Until now, against Nikola Jokic and the revolving carousel of this Nuggets circus around a 7-footer as a lead ballhandler.

“That’s what happens when you play against him,” Zubac said of Jokic after Game 2. “You gotta be ready for everything. You gotta figure it out.”

Five games into this Nuggets-Clippers series, and the Clippers have figured Jokic out like few teams in postseason memory. After a quiet 4-of-13 night in Game 5, Jokic is averaging his fewest points per game (25.4) in a series since the Phoenix Suns’ sweep of the Nuggets in 2020-21. Los Angeles coach Ty Lue affirmed that a switch to a blitz-heavy coverage Tuesday night helped slow Jokic, enabling the heady Zubac to stay more consistently attached to Jokic and a flurry of Clippers defenders to push him out from the post.

The fact remains, however, that the Nuggets still won Game 5 by 16 points.

“Holding Joker to 13 points and losing the game,” Lue smiled faintly, postgame, “is tough.”

“But, that’s how he beats you,” the Clippers’ coach continued. “If you worry about him too much, other guys can beat you.”

This complicated tango has defined the series, Jokic and Zubac and a slew of other blue-and-red Clippers jerseys locked into this give-and-take around the three-time MVP. And for five games, aside from a grueling 36-point effort in Game 4, Jokic has given more than he’s taken. Zubac’s length and physicality in their one-on-one matchup bothered Jokic in Game 1. A swarm of Los Angeles gnats poked seven turnovers away in Game 2. And a wall awaited to ward off the paint in Game 5.

But Jamal Murray took, and took aplenty, on Tuesday night. Russell Westbrook did, too, in a 21-point effort, the man the Clippers are wholly content to let lick his fingers on the perimeter now shooting 39% from deep in the series. Jokic flicked 12 assists against two turnovers, directed traffic, and Denver buried Los Angeles.

“It’s great,” Jokic said postgame when asked about his meager scoring output still resulting in a win.

“It was not my night, and I don’t have nothing — that’s fine,” he continued. “Like, I’m going to try to do whatever I can to try to do whatever I need to do to win a game. And I think everybody needs to accept that. Like, if it’s not your night, do whatever you need to do to win the game.”

In practice, the Clippers won the battle of Jokic Tuesday night. They switched coverages twice, as Zubac said postgame. They forced Jokic into tough shots, and his fewest made field goals in a playoff game since a 2018-19 Western Conference quarterfinal against the San Antonio Spurs.

But Jokic and the Nuggets won the war.

“He’s always gonna look for his teammates, he’s always gonna find open guys,” Zubac said postgame. “He takes away a lot of attention from the teammates … and he definitely gives a lot of space to operate for other guys.”