Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari continued his quality play in the FIBA World Cup on Sunday, and his scoring ability helped lead Italy to a win.
Italy defeated Puerto Rico 94-89 in its final game of the group phase. Italy was in Group J for the second round, with Spain and Serbia, two of the tournament’s best teams, were atop the group. Italy finished third in the group and did not advance to the quarterfinals.
Gallinari scored 22 points in the win over Puerto Rico and made three 3-pointers. He also had a team-high five assists and grabbed six rebounds. San Antonio Spurs guard Marco Belinelli led Italy in scoring with 27 points and he grabbted six rebounds.
Gallinari and Italy played five games in the group phase, with Gallinari scoring at least 15 points in four of Italy’s group phase games. Throughout the group phase, Gallinari averaged 17.2 points per game. For just the tournament’s second round, Gallinari ranked sixth in points per game.
With Gallinari having a good showing at the FIBA World Cup, he showed his capacity to be a team’s main scoring options.
Gallinari’s scoring bodes well for the Thunder, who must determine who will lead the team on offense in the coming season. Last season, Gallinari had his best season from a scoring standpoint, averaging a career-high 19.8 points per game with the Los Angeles Clippers.
