Turkish center Ömer Aşık shines in debut for the Pelicans

Playing in his first game for the New Orleans Pelicans, Turkish center Ömer Aşık helped his side grab a 101-84 win Oct. 28 against the Orlando Magic by scoring 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking five shots.

“That’s what I saw in him when he was in Chicago (2010-2012),” Pelicans coach Monty Williams said of Aşık, who was acquired from Houston in an offseason trade. “He was only playing less than half the game, but when he came into the game there defense went through the roof. There were times where he would finish just because he was so good on that end. I want him to focus more on finishing around the basket, scoring a little bit.”

All-Star Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 26 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and tied a career high with nine blocks.

“We just know that we’re a load in that paint - him with his great body and me able to move around, just try to follow the ball and get rebounds,” said Davis. “It’s a good combination.”

Aşık was especially effective in the first-half, when he played 18 minutes and scored 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds and two blocks.

Davis and Aşık combined for 16 offensive rebounds, and the Pelicans finished with 32 second-chance points.

“They cover up a lot of mistakes that you tend to make just by being aggressive,” Williams said.

Tobias Harris scored 25 points and Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and 23 rebounds for the Magic, who never led in the second half.

In Los Angeles, the Houston Rockets gave the Lakers a nightmare start to the season in a 108-90 rout that saw Los Angeles lose their top draft pick Julius Randle to what is reportedly a broken right leg.
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