The Chicago Bulls will look to bounce back after their embarrassing loss against the New York Knicks last Sunday afternoon. Toronto became 1-0 with their first Summer League win against the Philadelphia 76ers, 97-77. Armoni Brooks led all scorers with 25 points off the bench. Starter Dalano Banton had 21 points and five assists. Toronto will start a stretch of playing three games in the next four days.
Match Details
Fixture: Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors | NBA Las Vegas Summer League 2022.
Date & Time: Tuesday, July 12, 4:00 PM CT, 5:00 ET.
Channel: ESPN3
Venue: Thomas & Mack Center, NV.
Keys to Bulls getting the win
1. Good Start
In the Bulls’ first game, they got out to a quick 10-4 run against the Mavericks and won the first quarter 21-16. But the second game was a different story, allowing the Knicks to start the game with a 13-0 run. Chicago got their first point by a free throw. New York would finish the first quarter outscoring Chicago 27-11. Once the first quarter ended, you could tell there was no motivation to be at Cox Pavilion. The Bulls can’t afford to play from behind if they want to become 2-1.
2. 50/50 Plays
New York dominated Chicago by getting every 50/50 ball. There was no fight by the Bulls. Dalen Terry tried giving good energy in the third quarter, but that wasn’t enough to come back by 30 points. Players not named Lewis, Liberty, Simonovic, or Terry are fighting for a roster spot on an NBA team or G League team; coaches and general managers love guys who hustle on every play and give energy.
Key Players
Bulls: Marko Simonovic
After getting a game-high 27 points in the first game against Dallas, Simonovic struggled big time with scoring only 1 point and grabbing 7 rebounds. Nobody expected Simonovic to score a pathetic one point, including me. No fans have ever seen a player go from 27 points and hitting the game-winning free throw down to one point in the next game. If the Bulls plan on winning games, Simonovic must be a critical part of those wins.
His biggest challenger against the Raptors will be Christian Koloko, former teammate of Dalen Terry at the University of Arizona. Koloko earned Pac-12 defensive player of the year honors and got named first-team all Pac-12 for the 2021-22 season. Simonovic will have his hands full, but expect a solid bounce back game.
Raptors: Armoni Brooks
Armoni Brooks earned his chance to play by signing a 10-day contract on March 6, 2022, with the Toronto Raptors. Ten days later, the Raptors signed Brooks for another 10-day contract. On March 26, he signed a two-year deal to stay in Toronto. Brooks averaged 2.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 13 games. Brooks averaged 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 41 games with the Houston Rockets.
Brooks was a significant factor in their 97-77 win over the 76ers last Saturday with 25 points, shooting 9-18 from the field and grabbing seven rebounds in 26 minutes. He is a player fighting for more minutes on the Raptors next season and is worth watching for today when they take on the Bulls. One matchup to look out for Brooks against Terry.
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