Bulls win summer league opener without rookie Phillips
The Bulls' summer league opener in Las Vegas was not an artistic masterpiece.
They shot 39% from the field and fell behind 18-7 early, but they rallied to beat Toronto 83-74.
The main attraction of Bulls summer league is second-round draft pick Julian Phillips, who's a mystery to most fans. But since he has yet to sign a contract with the Bulls, Phillips decided not to play in Friday's game.
So the spotlight shifted to the lone Bulls' veteran on the summer roster, second-year guard Dalen Terry. He had his typical all-around game, finishing with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, Patrick Williams and Carlik Jones were the current Bulls in attendance.
The Bulls' leading scorer was Nate Darling with 15 points, followed by a couple of Windy City Bulls veterans. Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 12 and Nate Drell 10.
Darling hit 3 of 7 shots from 3-point range. Last year in the G-League, the 6-6 shooting guard averaged 21.3 points and shot 39% from 3.
Darling was born in Nova Scotia, played in high school at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland with Markelle Fultz, then in college ta UAB and Delaware. He's been a two-way player with the Hornets and Clippers.
Another interesting player was Yago dos Santos, a 5-10 point guard from Brazil who played in Germany last season. He hit 3 3-pointers to finish with 9 points and team-high 5 assists.
Two of the Bulls' two-way players participated. Forward Justin Lewis had 7 points and 7 rebounds in his return from ACL surgery, while rookie center Adama Sanogo from UConn had 5 points and 3 steals.
During an interview on NBA TV, Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said the team is still waiting to hear back from the league office on the Lonzo Ball injury exception. It's hard to imagine a scenario where it's denied, but assuming it's granted, the Bulls would be able to sign or trade for a player on a one-year deal for $10.2 million, or less.
The Raptors were led by rookie guard Markquis Nowell with 17 points. He was a March Madness star this spring for Kansas State and signed a two-way deal with Toronto. Raptors first-round pick Gradey Dick from Kansas scored 10 points and went 2 of 9 from 3-point range.
The Bulls play again Saturday against Memphis at 6 p.m. Central.
Also in Las Vegas, top draft picks Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson and Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson left their games with injuries, ESPN reported.
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