Chicago Bulls take NBA Summer League championship over Minnesota Timberwolves
The shirts read “Victory In Vegas.” But what they should have said was “Perfection In Vegas.”
The Chicago Bulls were the last team standing in the NBA Summer League, going 7-0 and outlasting the upset-minded Minnesota Timberwolves 84-82 in overtime Monday before 8,847 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Rookie guard Denzel Valentine’s game-winning turnaround jumper from just inside the top of the key dropped as time expired in OT to make him the hero on a night where he was staring at being the fall guy. Valentine’s 3-pointer with two-tenths of a second left in regulation drew Chicago even at 77 after Tyus Jones, the summer league’s Most Valuable Player, put Minnesota in front with a long 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds to play.
“I always believe I’m going to make the next shot,” said Valentine, the Michigan State All-American who was 0-for-6 from 3-point range before hitting his trey and then adding the game-winning bucket to finish with seven points. “I was missing so many shots, I’d have left me open, too. But I’ve made big buckets before, and it’s never over till it’s over.”
The Bulls were the No. 2 seed in the summer league playoffs, while the Timberwolves were No. 24. It was a back-and-forth battle all night, with both teams going on extended runs only to see the other side respond. Minnesota had a 19-0 second-quarter run to lead 32-18. The Bulls used an 18-5 third-quarter spurt to retake the lead, 50-47.
“It was phenomenal,” Bulls summer league coach Pete Myers said. “It was a great game with an amazing finish.
“I’m so proud of these guys. Fred (Hoiberg, the Bulls’ head coach) has been talking about changing the culture, and we had our young guys in our facility since late April, and they came here and did a great job.”
A lot of guys stepped up Monday for Chicago. In addition to Valentine, Bobby Portis scored 26 points, including four 3-pointers, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jerian Grant, the championship game MVP, had a double-double as well with 24 points and 10 rebounds. And Christiano Felicio and Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
“The one thing I told our guys when we got here to Vegas was that the longer we play, the better we could give guys a chance to get a look and get a job,” Myers said. “I’ve been through the summer league. I know how hard it is to try and impress someone. But these guys made a great impression with the way they played and kept working and never gave up.”
The Timberwolves are also trying to change their culture, and though they were the runner-up, they have a lot to be happy with moving forward with their young players. They may have found a leader in Jones, the second-year point guard who finished with 27 points and 10 assists, along with power forward Adreian Payne, who had 22 points and 16 rebounds.
“We’re competitors,” Timberwolves summer league coach Ryan Saunders said. “We want to win. You saw how they left everything out there. We lost Kris (Dunn). We were 0-3. But the players fought through the adversity. It’s a testament to them.
“We did everything right. But Denzel made a big play, and we lost on one shot.”
Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow on Twitter: @stevecarprj
