Summer League: Bulls Come Up Short Against Grizzlies, Lose 96-91

After storming back in the second half, the Chicago Bulls ran out of gas down the stretch, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies 96-91 in the Bulls’ fourth game of the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday night.

At the end of the first half, the Bulls trailed 53-41 despite Ayo Dosunmu and Marko Simonovic putting up 13 and ten points, respectively. 

Chicago started the second half on a 19-2 run to take a five-point lead and erase the double-digit halftime deficit in under four minutes. In the middle of that dominant stretch, Dosunmu scored five points in just four seconds to tie the game at 55.

The rest of the quarter was back-and-forth, with Chicago taking a 72-69 lead into the fourth quarter. Former Windy City Bulls forward Simi Shittu played a key part in keeping Chicago in front, scoring six-straight points near the end of the period. Shittu finished the game with nine points and grabbed ten rebounds.

The Grizzlies grabbed the lead back early in the fourth quarter. The Bulls remained in striking distance for the majority of the remaining time, but were never able to get over the hump.

Dosunmu turned in his highest scoring output of the NBA Summer League, recording a game-high 26 points to go along with seven rebounds. Simonovic ended with 14 points, while Jaylen Adams put up 15 points in his first NBA Summer League start for the Bulls.

However, it wasn’t enough to overcome six Grizzlies reaching double figures.

The Bulls were without a couple key players on the NBA Summer League roster. 

Second-year guard Devon Dotson didn’t play after exiting the last game with a right ankle injury. Dotson led the Bulls in scoring in their first game of the NBA Summer League, recording 16 points against the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the Bulls’ other two NBA Summer League games, second-year forward Patrick Williams paced the team with an average of 24 points, but he didn’t participate against Memphis.

The Bulls are slated to play their next NBA Summer League game against the Charlotte Hornets. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT on ESPN2.