Las Vegas Summer League Championship Game Primer: Wolves vs. Bulls
Minnesota looks to ruin Chicago's perfect summer run
By
Zach Harper
•
6 min read
We've sat through 66 games of Las Vegas Summer League heading into Monday night's championship game, which should bring a fantastic conclusion to the summer session. The matchup of the 24-seed Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the unbeaten 2-seed Chicago Bulls will finally put the nail in the coffin of wondering whether or not tanking is an acceptable modus operandi for teams in summer league.
Let's break down everything you need to know about the Wolves-Bulls matchup as we determine the true champions of Las Vegas basketball.
When: 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET
Where: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
How to watch: ESPN2 on TV, ESPN3 on the internet
What's at stake: Summer League supremacy. They've had this format for four years now. The first year, the Golden State Warriors won the 2013 LVSL championship. Two years later, they won the NBA championship. In 2014, the Sacramento Kings won the LVSL title. Since then they ... well, let's move on to 2015. Last year, the San Antonio Spurs won the LVSL championship. They followed that up with a 67-win season.
The Wolves and Bulls can either set themselves up for some coincidental success or help us figure out if there is a curse for the teams who win the LVSL championship in even years.
2-Seed Chicago Bulls (6-0)
How did they get here? All they do is win. The Summer Bulls are perfect heading into the title game, and while they haven't blown everybody out, they've managed to execute down the stretches of tight games to remain perfect. They beat the Boston Celtics 71-62 in their opener, thanks to key fourth-quarter play. They took down a Ben Simmons-led Philadelphia 76ers team 83-70 in their second win. They out-executed the San Antonio Spurs in the final five minutes of their third game to secure a 79-76 victory.
In the tournament play, they manhandled the Dallas Mavericks 86-73 before weathering the furious comeback attempt of the Washington Wizards to grab an 88-85 win. That put them in the semifinals where they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 85-79 despite being down by two heading into the fourth quarter. The Bulls have been lethal down the stretches of games behind the play of their talented roster and the coaching of assistant Pete Myers.
Who is the NBA talent on the roster (not counting rookies)? The Summer Bulls have four legitimate NBA "veterans" on the roster.
Bobby Portis: The big man out of Arkansas is heading into his second season in the NBA and probably falls into the "Too Good for Summer League" starting five. If the Summer Bulls decided to go to him more, he could easily drop 30 in every summer league game. He was named to the All-Summer League First Team. He's averaging 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds in 30.3 minutes. He's also gone 6-of-17 from 3-point range. He's only had one game in which he didn't get at least 17 points.
Jerian Grant: Acquired in the Derrick Rose trade, the second-year point guard has struggled a bit in summer league. He's one of five Bulls players averaging double digits in scoring, but he's shot just 31.3 percent from the field and 21.2 percent from deep. He's giving out 3.7 assists per game in 24.5 minutes. He did get going late in the win over the Cavs once he realized he could bully 5-foot-9 Kay Felder inside.
Spencer Dinwiddie: As Matt Moore wrote earlier during LVSL, Spencer Dinwiddie has been valiantly fighting for an NBA job. He's put up 11 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 24.2 minutes during his six games (all coming off the bench). His shot (37 percent FG, 33.3 percent 3FG) has struggled a bit, but he's attacking well and not trying to do too much on the floor.
Cristiano Felicio: The Brazilian 24-year old is one of the rare NBA players I've ever seen warm up in pre-game drills during the regular season that made me concerned about his ability to do even that. In the summer league environment, he's looking much more competent on the floor. He's putting up 11.3 points and six rebounds in 21.5 minutes, but the real impressive part has been his ability to put the ball in the basket. He's making 75 percent of his shots and is 14-of-16 from the free-throw line.
Any exciting rookies? Denzel Valentine, the 14th pick in this past draft, has been pretty fun despite not shooting the ball well (35.9/27.5). He's second on the team in scoring (12.3 points per game). He's also second on the team in rebounding (6.5) and assists (2.7). His biggest moment came against the Cavaliers in the semifinals when he pulled up in transition and banked home a 3-pointer.
Who are the fringe guys making noise? Bulls haven't really had anybody on the fringe going nuts. Jack Cooley is his usual high production, low minutes self in summer league. Brandon Davies has been horrendous. And Dez Wells has shot the ball well from 3-point range, but isn't doing a lot in his six starts so far.
Odds: -4.5, -210 ML
24-Seed Minnesota Timberwolves (4-3)
How did they get here? Cinderella found her glass slipper on the Las Vegas Strip. The Wolves lost their first three games of the summer session. The first two games were close; Minnesota dropped a second-half lead to Denver in an 88-82 defeat, followed by an 82-80 loss to Toronto. Kris Dunn was brilliant in both of those contests, but suffered a concussion that caused him to sit out Game 3. That third game was a disaster as the Wolves got blown out by 31 points to the Cavs.
Then-Wolves assistant coach Ryan Saunders rallied his team as the 24-seed in the tournament and marched them right to the championship game. Tyus Jones came alive for the Wolves in the survive and advance format as they took down the San Antonio Spurs 80-71, and then the Memphis Grizzlies 89-85. After a day off, they went back-to-back with wins over the Toronto Raptors 81-79, (thanks to clutch free throws by Jones to avoid overtime) and Phoenix Suns 93-83. The Wolves have caught a hot roller at the craps table and are trying to ride it to summer league wealth.
Who is the NBA talent on the roster (not counting rookies)? This Wolves' roster is pretty thin when it comes to definite NBA talent but they've got a couple of guys.
Tyus Jones: His play through the tournament format has been spectacular and it led to him being named the MVP of the summer session. His averages for the seven games in Vegas are 19.4 points, 6.3 assists and four rebounds in 33.4 minutes. He's also making 45.7 percent of his shots and 44.4 percent of his 3-pointers. In the tournament format, he's averaging 22.7 points, 8.2 assists and shooting 49.1 percent from the field. Turns out he's not just limited to good play in college tournaments.
Adreian Payne: As always, Payne has been a mixed bag on the court. There are times in which you're reminded he's a first-round pick in the NBA just a couple years ago. There are also times in which you're wondering what his career in China will be like. He's averaged 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds, but made just 40.9 percent from the field and is 3-of-16 from deep. He could be a monster in the title game like he was down the stretch against the Suns. Or he could keep them from winning it.
Any exciting rookies? Yes, but he's not playing. Unless the Wolves surprise us with the No. 5 pick in the draft dressing into his summer uniform, Kris Dunn is likely to sit out a sixth straight game. He was amazing when he did play. Scored 48 points (54.3 percent shooting) in two games and had one of the sickest handles we've seen in summer league play. If he does end up playing, it will only help Minnesota pull out the upset.
Who are the fringe guys making noise? Toure' Murry has been effective but can't seem to make shots. Jarrid Famous and Devin Thomas have been active big men on the boards and protecting the paint. They're also good for a couple of dunks each game. Coty Clarke can absolutely be an NBA player and that's not just because of a few games with the Boston Celtics this past season. Xavier Silas has shot the 3-ball well and fourth on the team in scoring (11 points per game).
Odds: +4.5, +180 ML
