Bulls stay unbeaten in summer league
The Bulls’ successful summer-league squad squandered a 14-point lead but managed to defeat Portland 80-78 in overtime Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Point guard Marquis Teague scored 25 points but missed a free throw with 13.5 seconds left in regulation that would have put the Bulls ahead by 4. The Bulls then lost Portland rookie C.J. McCollum on the ensuing possession, and he tied the score by draining an open 3-pointer.
With a chance to win, the Bulls isolated Teague, who came up well short on a 20-foot step back jumper, Replays showed he may have been hit on the arm.
The Bulls seemed to de-emphasize shooting guard Andrew Goudelock in this game. After scoring 57 points in the first two games of summer league, he had just 6 during four quarters against the Blazers.
In overtime, though, Goudelock scored all 5 points for the Bulls, including a tough runner that gave them a 3-point lead in the final minute.
At the end of overtime, former Illinois center Meyers Leonard tossed in a one-handed 3-pointer that could have won the game, but referees ruled he didn’t get it off in time.
Bulls first-round draft pick Tony Snell scored 14 points, hitting 5 of 10 shots from the field. Second-round pick Erik Murphy was having a decent game, scoring 10 points in 13 minutes, but he suffered a broken nose late in the first half in a collision near the basket and didn’t play in the second half.
Center Malcolm Thomas, who set a summer-league record with 22 rebounds late Monday against Denver, sat out against Portland.
McCollum led the Blazers with 27 points but hit just 8 of 25 shots. Leonard finished with 12 points. Power forward Thomas Robinson added 18 rebounds and 12 points.
The NBA is using a new format for the summer league this year. Now that every team has played three games, they’ll be seeded from 1 to 22 and placed into a tournament to determine a Las Vegas champion.
With a 3-0 record, the Bulls should get either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, which features a first-round bye and a game Thursday. They could play up to four more games by advancing to the championship.