Knicks obliterate Bulls in Summer League action |
LAS VEGAS - After an exciting Summer League opening win that saw Marko Simonovic dominate the game, the Bulls returned to the court Sunday to take on the New York Knicks. The Knicks were one of the more frustrating teams in the NBA last season as they failed to make the playoffs and then appeared to trade every draft pick for the next five years away.
Despite all that, the Knicks are sitting at 2-0 in Summer League play, and their future might be brighter than most think as they pumbled the Bulls 101-69 on Sunday night. This game was over nearly as quickly as it began as the Knicks not only outscored Chicago 27-11 in the first quarter, but then again 32-13 in the second. That means the Knicks held a 59-24 lead through one half of play, and there is no coming back from that. The Bulls did play much better in the second half, especially the third quarter when they outscored the Knicks 26-20, but they had three quarters under 20 points, which is not a good sign. When you look at the Knicks offense, they had plenty of players contributing, but none more than the second-year man Quentin Grimes. One of the more experienced players in the summer league, Grimes led all scorers with 24 points and knocked down four triples. Although he may have been the lone player to top 20 points, the Knicks had three other players land in double figures as their offense was very balanced. Another second-year man in, Miles McBride, chipped in with 14 points as he finished second on the team. Quinton Rose also had a solid game for New York as the rookie scored 13 points off the bench to lead the way for the second unit. Jericho Sims was the final player to land in double figures as he finished with 11 points. When it comes to the Bulls, it was a long night as they couldn't get much of anything done on the offensive end. Their defense did their part and played very well, but when Simonovic has just one point, you can see how tough things were going to be. One of the few bright spots that should have fans excited was the performance of first-round pick Dalen Terry. Coming off a nine-point night in his Summer League debut, Terry upped the ante by leading the team in scoring with 13 points. He added three assists and one rebound, but his seven turnovers were a huge concern. Along with Terry and his game was Carlik Jones, as he has the potential to sneak onto this roster. With guys like Troy Brown Jr and Matt Thomas no longer in the mix, there will be a few roster spots open, and Jones is considered a dark horse to take one of those spots. He also added 13 points to lead the Bulls, but did so more efficiently than Terry, as those two were the lone starters to score in double figures. While the Bulls starters did next to nothing offensively, their second unit guys continued to battle, and there were a few standout performances that should be worth noting. Former DePaul guard and Chicago native Javon Freeman-Liberty has looked good in his first two games and led the Bulls bench with 11 points. Add in the eight points from Justin Wright-Foreman, and those two provided Chicago with a nice boost off the bench which could come in handy for Windy City or Chicago this season. With the loss, the Bulls will have a difficult time winning the Summer League title, but they still have two preliminary games and an additional game left to play, so they have an opportunity to finish on a high note. Chicago returns to the floor Tuesday afternoon when they take on the Toronto Raptors.
