New Knicks center Timofey Mozgov had his first chance to play against NBA-caliber competition yesterday when the Russian national team took on the United States in quarterfinal play at the FIBA World Championships, and by all accounts, he acquitted himself well enough. You can view the full box score here, but the essential tallies are 12 points, four rebounds, one blocked shot, and four fouls, with a tidy six-of-nine mark from the floor.
Chris Tomasson of NBA FanHouse is in Turkey to cover the tournament. He expands on Mozgov’s play here:
Well, Russia’s Timofey Mozgov sure looked [Wilt] Chamberlain-like in the first quarter Thursday against the Americans. The 7-foot-1 center shot 4 of 4 and scored nine points and the Russians were surprisingly tied 25-25 with Team USA in a FIBA World Championship quarterfinal at the Sinan Erdem Dome.
Seth Rosenthal of Posting and Toasting, SB Nation’s Knicks blog, also came away impressed. You can read his impressions here. He also posted this highlight film.