The Chicago Bulls capped off a perfect 7-0 NBA Summer League showing with Monday's 84-82 overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves to win the championship in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Summer League MVP Tyus Jones' late heroics sparked the exciting sequence. With two defenders on the Minnesota point guard and the shot clock winding down, Jones pulled up from downtown and connected with 3.6 seconds left.
Chicago had one last gasp, though, as Denzel Valentine, who struggled all night, fired back with a three-pointer with two-tenths of a second remaining to force overtime.
The Bulls' official Twitter account reacted appropriately:
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) July 19, 2016
And in an extraordinary finish, Valentine used a pretty move to create separation and buried a step-back dagger at the overtime horn, as the NBA Summer League's Twitter account showed:
— NBASummerLeague (@NBASummerLeague) July 19, 2016
Valentine was 3-of-10 from the field, but two of those shots loomed rather large. ESPN.com's Adam Reisinger had fun with Valentine's achievement:
— Adam Reisinger (@AdamReisinger) July 19, 2016
Bulls newcomer Dwyane Wade took notice of the rookie first-round pick:
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) July 19, 2016
While Jones was expected to give Minnesota a big edge in the point guard matchup, Chicago's Jerian Grant held his own. Grant scored the first five points in overtime and wound up with 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to win the championship game's MVP award.
After trailing 18-13 through one quarter, the Wolves scored the first 19 points of the second quarter to cap off a 22-0 run, which started late in the first, when Jones converted an old-fashioned three-point play.
Mark Kim of KOMU Sports guessed what former Chicago and current Minnesota head coach Tom Thibodeau may have thought of that stretch:
— Mark Kim (@MarkJKim_) July 19, 2016
Thriller-esque Thibodeau cackle notwithstanding, the Bulls responded with a 14-0 run in the third quarter, capped by Bobby Portis’ three-pointer, to take a 50-47 lead as the Wolves hit a cold spell.
Although Jones broke the Wolves' goose egg with a nice drive to the bucket, Portis hit another three and scored a layup following Jones' miss from point-blank range at the other end, making the score 55-49.
Portis was a beast Monday en route to a team-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, including 11 points in the third.
Mark Schanowski of CSNChicago.com weighed in on how well Portis and the other young guns fared for the victors:
— Mark Schanowski (@MarkSchanowski) July 19, 2016
Minnesota outscored Chicago 29-14 in the second quarter, but the Bulls bounced back in the subsequent frame with a 27-16 advantage to take a one-point lead into the final 10 minutes of action.
But a member of the Wolves frontcourt, Adreian Payne, helped offset Portis' performance with 22 points and 16 boards to pace Minnesota down low. Payne also flashed good range by converting three shots from beyond the arc.
Payne and Jones were a two-man show for the Wolves. It was especially necessary for Payne to play well as Jones struggled with seven turnovers.
The good news for Minnesota was that Jones, who once shined for a national championship Duke squad in the NCAA tournament, saved much of his best for last. He had four dimes and zero turnovers in the final quarter prior to his epic trey.
The Cauldron's CJ Fogler captured Thibodeau's candid reaction to Jones' clutch shot:
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) July 19, 2016
Jones found Xavier Silas for a game-tying, banked-in three late in overtime before Valentine's game-winner in another example of the young guard's composure in crunch time.
Even in defeat, the Wolves can take solace in knowing Jones had a magnificent summer showing, as did Payne. They carry lower expectations among Minnesota's youthful core yet could be X-factors and key depth players on the 2016-17 team.
As for the Bulls, they have an intriguing talent in Portis, and Grant—who arrived in the Derrick Rose trade—has the look of a potential contributor to Chicago's A-squad this coming season.
Postgame Reaction
Jones tweeted the following afterward, maintaining an upbeat attitude despite the defeat: "Thanks everybody for the support and love. Enjoyed the time in Vegas. God is GREAT! Back to the lab we go... Write Your Own Story."
Valentine spoke about how he maintained his composure despite his difficulties shooting the ball.
"I'm here for a reason," said Valentine, per the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson. "The Bulls picked me up to be a confident player and come through when the team needs me and be a winner. That's what I preached during my draft interviews. I just keep winning on my mind."
Valentine added, "People that are saying that it's just summer league didn't win summer league. Whoever is saying that, that's a losing mentality. If you're out here, you're competing."
Bulls summer-league coach Pete Myers said of Valentine, per Johnson, "From the moment we saw him, the moment he came to work out for us, he's a confident kid. He's not afraid of the moment or the situation."
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