FIBA World Cup: Team USA gets the Czech-mark; Day 2 takeaways
By Phil Watson
Team USA, Turkey set up Tuesday showdown
At Shanghai, Group E got under way with Turkey blasting out of a big early lead and cruising to an 86-67 victory over Japan.
The Turks opened a 10-point lead in the first 3:41 of the game, jumping out with a 13-3 run and leading 28-12 by the end of the first 10 minutes of play.
Turkey dominated the smaller Japan squad on the glass, with a 44-26 rebounding advantage that included 18 offensive boards to just five for the Japanese, and outscored Japan in the paint by a whopping 54-18 margin.
The Turks shot 52.1 percent overall (38-for-73) while hitting 9-of-25 (36 percent) from long range, compared to 38.5 percent (20-for-52) and 9-for-22 (40.9 percent) for Japan, which also committed 14 turnovers to Turkey’s 10.
Ersan Ilyasova of the Milwaukee Bucks posted a double-double to lead Turkey, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds while hitting 5-of-9 from downtown. Melih Mahmutoglu added 17 points and Dogus Balbay ran the offense efficiently with eight assists and no turnovers.
Washington Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura paced Japan with 15 points and seven rebounds, but was only 3-for-10 from the floor, while former NBA player Nick Fazekas also scored 15 points.
In the nightcap, the Czech Republic punched Team USA in the mouth with a 9-2 in the first period to take an 11-7 lead, but the U.S. had far too much defensive pressure for the Czechs to handle.
Team USA forced 15 turnovers and had six blocked shots, holding a 22-7 edge in points off turnovers and a 15-0 advantage on the fast break.
Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers had seven rebounds and two blocks for the Americans, who outboarded the Czechs by a slim 40-38 margin while running with small lineups much of the game.
Team USA shot 49.3 percent (37-for-75) overall and hit 10-of-26 (38.5 percent) from deep, while the Czech Republic hit 40.6 percent (26-for-64) overall while going 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range.
Tomas Satoransky was the only offensive creator the Czechs had, however, and went for 17 points and five assists in 28 minutes. Vojtech Hruban and Jaromir Bohacik scored 13 points apiece, with Bohacik adding nine rebounds.
Sunday’s action sets up a battle for the top spot in Group E as Turkey and Team USA collide, while the Czechs and Japan will be playing to avoid elimination.