Whoa, Canada! Knicks' RJ Barrett Posts Big Tally in Pre-World Cup Epic (Highlights)
It may be the weekend, but RJ Barrett was more than happy to work overtime in the name of his country.
The New York Knicks' homegrown franchise face put forth a stellar performance as his native Canada prepared for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup, its latest tune-up effort being a 113-112 overtime victory in Germany in the finale of the DBB SuperCup tournament in Hamburg. Barrett not only had 31 points but did so on an impressive 13-of-14 effort from the field, including a perfect 4-of-4 mark from three-point range.
Canada has never finished better than sixth in 14 prior World Cup showings but is aiming high with the services of several recognizable NBA talents such as Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City), and Dillon Brooks (Houston). Sunday's outing against the Germans hinted at the team's true potential and danger.
Barrett was sure to credit his team for setting him up for success: Gilgeous-Alexander put in 25 points while Kelly Olynyk (Utah) had 21 points and a rejection of Moritz Wagner (Orlando) as time expired to put the finishing touch on the comeback win, which allowed Canada to recover from last week's 86-81 loss to the Germans in a prior exhibition. Canada is three games into a five-contest exhibition slate, have topped New Zealand 107-76 earlier this weekend.
“It felt good," Barrett said of his game, per Matt Johnson on Team Canada's official site. "Shai, Kelly, and the guys are out there making it easy for me to do my thing, but it's been a lot of fun."
“It's exciting. We're nowhere near close to where we want to be right now. But today was a big step, and we just got to keep getting better every day,”
The hosting Germans, paced by 26 points from captain Dennis Schröder (Toronto) led for a majority of Sunday's showcase and held an 11-point advantage entering the final frame. Barrett, however, took over the comeback effort, scoring the last points of regulation to force an extra period via drive, part of a five-point stretch that also included an and-one opportunity.
“Overall, he was outstanding. Very efficient offensively,” Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Barrett's show. “He’s been very clean with his decision-making, running the floor and attacking the paint, so this is exactly what we needed from him. This is exactly the production we want.”
Come the World Cup, Canada will be situated in Group F in Jakarta alongside France, Latvia, and Lebanon. In the meantime, two more exhibitions in Granada await, as the Canadians will face host Spain on Thursday before facing off against the Dominican Republic one night later.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Knicks? Click Here.
Follow AllKnicks.com on Twitter.
