Finland

Jim Eichenhofer

As the only NBA player on Turkey’s national team, it probably registers as no surprise that Omer Asik led his club in multiple statistical categories during the just-completed preliminary round of the FIBA World Cup. Anthony Davis’ USA teammates are significantly more star-studded, but that hasn’t prevented the 21-year-old from assuming an ultra-significant role for the Americans. Through the pool-play portion of the World Cup in Spain, both New Orleans Pelicans frontcourt starters have impressed, spearheading their respective teams in an array of departments.

After five games, Asik tops Turkey (3-2) in rebounding average (9.2) and blocks average (1.4), numbers that rank him fifth and eighth overall, respectively, among the World Cup’s 288 participating players. The 7-footer has been a consistently rugged and active presence in the paint, making many of his trademark hustle plays that don’t necessarily show up in the box score. Asik’s production has come at a steady rate despite the fact that his playing time has fluctuated – he’s averaging a modest 22.6 minutes, only fourth-most among Turkish players.

One other impressive aspect of his play so far in Spain has been his offense, featuring a scoring average of 10.8 points that ranks him second on Turkey’s roster. Asik compiled a 22-point outing in a Wednesday win against Finland, a game Turkey desperately needed to boost its chances of advancing to the knockout stage. His NBA single-game career high is also 22 points. Asik’s near double-double of 10.8 points and 9.2 rebounds is similar to the stats he generated during the 2012-13 season with Houston, the lone NBA campaign in which he was a full-time starting center. He averaged 10.1 points and 11.7 rebounds that season with the Rockets, while logging 30.0 minutes per game.

Meanwhile, Davis put up excellent across-the-board numbers for USA Basketball (5-0) despite often resting for large chunk of second halves, with his team having built huge leads against its frequently-overmatched opponents. USA’s starting center in all five games, Davis averaged just 20.6 minutes as a result of his second-half breathers, but leads the Americans in scoring average (15.8) and blocks average (1.8). He’s also second on Team USA in rebounding average (6.4), trailing only Denver’s Kenneth Faried.

“I’m just trying to contribute more,” Davis told USA Basketball’s official website. “I know they expect a lot out of me, especially since I was on that 2012 (Olympic) team, so I’m just trying to contribute, make sure that we get each win and play hard for these last four games. Now it’s win or go home. We’ve got to come out very prepared and make sure we play hard.”

Davis had a few quiet offensive stretches of games, which was not necessarily unexpected due to how much other firepower USA Basketball has at its disposal, particularly in the backcourt. Yet as the preliminary round progressed, his teammates seemed to acknowledge that running the offense through the Western Conference All-Star would be extremely fruitful. Davis attempted at least eight shots in all five games and was exceptionally efficient, going 32-for-51 overall. His field-goal percentage of 62.7 ranks second among all players at the World Cup (Faried is shooting an absurd 79.1 percent, capitalizing on his unmatched energy to feast on countless layups and putback dunks).

Turkey and USA Basketball will next compete this weekend in the Round of 16, in separate brackets of the World Cup knockout stage. Davis and Asik, who squared off previously on Aug. 30, cannot face each other again until the semifinal round. Team USA plays Saturday vs. Mexico (9 a.m. Central time, ESPN2); Turkey will meet Australia on Sunday (1 p.m., ESPN3.com).

pelicans-anthony-davis-omer-asik-impress-at-world-cup

Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, Omer Asik impress at World Cup

If not for an Aug. 30 FIBA World Cup opener vs. New Zealand in which he only played 10 minutes, Omer Asik may have had a realistic shot at leading all players at the 24-team competition in rebounding average. Instead, the brand-new New Orleans Pelicans center will settle for a top-five ranking in that statistic – and more importantly – a berth by the Turkish national team in this weekend’s Round of 16.

Turkey advanced to the knockout stage Thursday on the strength of a methodical 77-64 victory over the Dominican Republic. The 7-foot, 255-pound Asik was only needed to play 13 minutes this time, but he still managed to squeeze in nine points and 10 rebounds. Turkey led 41-23 at halftime and was never threated in the second half. Asik received limited playing time after intermission, with Turkey holding a commanding lead and playing its third game in as many days.

Earlier this week, Turkey (3-2) appeared on the verge of being eliminated from consideration from the knockout round, but instead closed pool play with back-to-back wins and took second place in Group C, behind only Team USA. Yesterday, Turkey rallied from a 17-point deficit against Finland, before prevailing 77-73 in overtime.

Individually, over the five-game preliminary round, Asik averaged 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds. In his last three games, his numbers in those categories were 15.7 points and 12.7 rebounds.

As the second-place team in Group C, Turkey is slated to play in the Round of 16 on Sunday, with opponent and tip-off to be announced.

turkey-omer-asik-top-dominican-republic-advance

Turkey, Omer Asik top Dominican Republic, advance

1)      Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson revealed Wednesday that he’s been cleared for contact. Anderson’s last NBA action was Jan. 3.

2)      Omer Asik and Turkey national team greatly increased its chances to advancing to the knockout stage Wednesday, behind Asik’s 22 points in a 77-73 OT win against Finland. That total matched his highest output in any NBA game over his four-year career in the league. Turkey trailed by 17 points at one stage of the matchup.

3)      Turkey (2-2) will wrap up pool play today with a 2:30 p.m. (Central) game against the Dominican Republic (watch online at ESPN3.com). A Turkey win would guarantee a spot in the Round of 16, but Turkey may still be able to get there even with a defeat, based on tiebreaking scenarios.

4)      Team USA (4-0) clinched first place in Group C yesterday with a one-sided victory over the Dominican Republic. Check out a photo gallery from the 106-71 win.

5)      USA will face Ukraine (2-2) at 10:30 a.m. (Central) today, a game that does not matter standings-wise for the Americans. The game will be broadcast nationally by ESPN2. As the winner of Group C, Team USA is slated to play in the knockout round Saturday, with opponent and tip-off time TBA.

five-things-to-know-about-the-pelicans-on-sept-4

Five things to know about the Pelicans on Sept. 4

Entering Wednesday's FIBA World Cup schedule with a 1-2 record in pool play, the Turkish national team was in dire need of a victory against Finland. Fortunately for the Turks, center Omer Asik came through with one of the best scoring games of his basketball career.

Asik, whose NBA career high in a single game is 22 points, matched that output with a 22-point performance Wednesday, as Turkey rallied from a big deficit to eventually notch a critical 77-73 overtime victory over Finland. Turkey (2-2) significantly improved its chances to advancing to the knockout stage by coming back from down 17 points against Finland (1-3). Cenk Akyol drained one of the biggest baskets of the tournament so far, a three-pointer from the right corner that capped Turkey's comeback and sent the Group C pool play contest into overtime.

Asik, acquired this summer in a trade by the Pelicans, also grabbed eight rebounds to tie for team honors in that category. Asik was 7-for-12 from the field and 8-for-16 from the foul line. Defensively, he notched two steals and one block.

Turkey can lock up a berth in the Round of 16 – which begins Saturday in Spain – by defeating the Dominican Republic in its Thursday group stage finale. Even if Turkey loses and therefore finishes 2-3 in pool play, it still can advance based on a complicated set of tiebreaking scenarious.

In other Group C action involving the Pelicans:

Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis had his quietest offensive game of the FIBA World Cup so far, notching 10 points after he had tallied 17, 19 and 21 in the previous three games. However, with the Americans rolling to another one-sided victory, Davis did not play at all in the fourth quarter.

Although he didn't dominate this time on offense, making five of his 10 shots from the field, Davis contributed in other areas. The NBA's No. 1 shot-blocker from last season rejected five shots, while also grabbing seven rebounds, including three offensive boards.

With one game remaining in pool play, Team USA (4-0) wrapped up first place in Group C. Every other team in the group has already lost at least twice. The Americans conclude the preliminary stage Thursday with a 10:30 a.m. (Central) game against Ukraine (2-2).

omer-asiks-22-points-lead-turkey-to-key-comeback-win

Omer Asik's 22 points lead Turkey to key comeback win

1)      Team USA and Anthony Davis registered another one-sided victory Tuesday, defeating New Zealand by a 98-71 margin. As productive as Davis has been, Tuesday’s game was his highest scoring effort of the World Cup so far, featuring 21 points.

2)      USA Basketball is back in action today at 2:30 p.m. against the Dominican Republic (broadcast live by ESPN2). The American team is 3-0 in pool play and seeking first place in Group C, which it will be guaranteed of attaining with two more wins. On Thursday, Team USA will face Ukraine (2-1).

3)      In case you missed it, check out a postcard from Spain written by Pelicans four-year head coach Monty Williams.

4)      Pelicans.com writer Jim Eichenhofer stopped by the Black & Blue Report yesterday to discuss the FIBA World Cup.

5)      Omer Asik racked up 16 points and 20 rebounds for Turkey (1-2) on Tuesday in a Group C pool play loss to Ukraine. Turkey must win at least one of its final two games to have a chance to advance to the Round of 16. Turkey plays Finland (1-2) at 10:30 a.m. today (you can watch live on ESPN3.com) and the Dominican Republic (2-1) on Thursday. The knockdown round begins Saturday.

five-things-to-know-about-the-pelicans-on-sept-3

Five things to know about the Pelicans on Sept. 3

On an American team filled with star power, no one has been as vital to USA Basketball’s early success at the FIBA World Cup than New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis. The 21-year-old continued his consistently effective play Tuesday in a Group C pool play game against New Zealand, finishing with 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 22 minutes of action. USA defeated overmatched New Zealand by a 98-71 margin, improving to 3-0 in the preliminary round.

Davis scored 17 points against Finland in Saturday’s World Cup opener, then capped the weekend with a 19-point eruption against Turkey, with all of those 19 points coming in the second half. The three straight double-digit games means Davis is Team USA’s leading scorer so far in Spain, with an average of 19.0 points. During his NBA All-Star campaign of 2013-14 with the Pelicans, the second-year pro averaged a similar figure, at 20.8 points.

Scoring in a variety of ways, Davis and Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (15 points, 11 rebounds) continued to terrorize opposing frontcourts in Spain. Davis was featured often in USA’s halfcourt offense, particularly in the second half, while also feasting on his usual assortment of finishing plays around the rim. Davis threw down four dunks, part of a 7-for-13 performance from the field. At the foul line, he was 7-for-10.

The United States was never threatened by New Zealand. USA went up by 22 points at halftime and held a similarly comfortable edge for the bulk of Tuesday’s game. USA will face the Dominican Republic on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. Central (ESPN2).

In other Group C pool play action involving the Pelicans:

Pelicans center Omer Asik already had a double-double by halftime and authored one of the best individual efforts by anyone so far in Spain, totaling 16 points and 20 rebounds. It wasn’t enough, however, for Turkey to avoid a second straight defeat in the preliminary round. Turkey (1-2) is now in a precarious position in terms of qualifying for the Round of 16; it must win at least one of its final two games to have a chance to advance. Turkey plays Finland on Wednesday, followed by Thursday’s pool play finale vs. the Dominican Republic.

After a quiet Saturday opening game vs. New Zealand, Asik is averaging 11.0 points and 14.0 rebounds over Turkey’s two most recent contests.

anthony-davis-continues-stellar-play-in-win-vs-new-zealand

Anthony Davis continues stellar play in win vs. New Zealand

Pelicans.com

2014-fiba-world-cup-usa-vs-finland

2014 FIBA World Cup - USA vs. Finland

Over a 56-second span of the second quarter on Saturday, Anthony Davis managed to nail an 18-foot baseline jumper and dropped in a pair of layups, the latter close-range score resulting in a conventional three-point play. That seven-point individual sequence provided a nice snap shot of Davis’ ultra-efficient performance in a 114-55 blowout victory for the United States over Finland, on Day 1 of the FIBA World Cup.

Despite playing only 14 minutes for Team USA  (1-0), Davis totaled 17 points, his squad’s high point total until the late stages of the fourth quarter, when he was surpassed by Klay Thompson (18 points). The 21-year-old Davis only needed eight shots from the field to amass those 17 points and did not play after the 5:03 mark of the third quarter.

Davis’ only two misses from the field came on an alley oop he couldn’t convert off a James Harden pass, as well as a mid-range jumper early in the third quarter. His 6-for-8 shooting from the field featured three layups, one dunk and two deep jumpers. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.

The commanding margin of victory allowed Davis and several of his USA teammates to rest extensively. The Americans are back in action Sunday vs. Turkey (2:30 p.m. Central, ESPN).

Individually, Pelicans center Omer Asik’s World Cup opener was the antithesis of what Davis experienced. Asik was limited to just 11 minutes, finishing with one point and two blocks. From a team standpoint, however, Turkey came from behind to post an important victory. New Zealand was up 38-28 at halftime, but Turkey eventually pulled into the lead late in the fourth quarter and held on to prevail.

anthony-davis-17-points-14-minutes-in-usa-rout-vs-finland

Anthony Davis 17 points, 14 minutes in USA rout vs. Finland

none

Presented By

Chevron

<a title="Pelicans Livestreams" href="https://www.nba.com/pelicans/live" target="_blank">LIVE: Pelicans at Thunder Game 2 Postgame with Willie Green, Pelicans Players | WATCH &gt;&gt;</a>