Summer League: High-Flying Bulls Soar Past Hornets, 99-74

A pair of rim-rocking, alley-oop dunks from the Chicago Bulls — one between Tyler Bey and Dosunmu, and another involving Troy Baxter Jr. and Simi Shittu — put the finishing touches on a 99-74 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada Monday night. Ayo Dosunmu led the Bulls in scoring for the second game in a row with 19 points in Chicago’s fifth and final game of the NBA Summer League.

After a neck-and-neck start to the game, the Bulls held a narrow 17-13 lead after the opening quarter. Then, the Bulls picked up steam right before halftime, heading into the break on a 14-2 run to lead by 17 points.

Chicago didn’t let up in the third quarter, outscoring the Hornets by nine points to stretch the Bulls’ lead to 76-50 with ten minutes left to play. 

By the time the final buzzer rang, the Bulls held a 99-74 lead and all five starters had reached double figures. Jerome Robinson, Jaylen Adams and Tyler Bey each had 13 points, while Marko Simonovic recorded ten points. 

Former Windy City Bulls forward Simi Shittu finished just a point shy of a double-double for the second game in a row, putting up nine points and grabbing ten rebounds.

As a team, Chicago shot significantly better while turning the ball over less. The Bulls shot 44.8% from the field with 11 turnovers, while the Hornets shot 32.4% and racked up 18 turnovers.

After both players missed the Bulls’ previous game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, second-year guard Devon Dotson and second-year forward Patrick Williams were inactive against the Hornets. Dotson — who’s on a two-way contract — has been out since suffering a right ankle injury against the Minnesota Timberwolves Aug. 12.

The win over the Hornets capped off the Bulls’ NBA Summer League.