Chicago Bulls: Patrick Williams’ offensive explosion fuels comeback win
What might wind up being the most exciting game during this brief Las Vegas NBA Summer League slate with the Chicago Bulls was delivered against the San Antonio Spurs on the night of Aug. 10. The Bulls were reeling for most of this outing against the Spurs in the second game of the Summer League slate.
And that wasn’t a good sign for the Bulls following a double-digit loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in the team’s Summer League opener on the afternoon of Aug. 9.
But the Bulls really got it done down the stretch in this eventual comeback win over the Spurs on Aug. 10. And this comeback win for the Bulls over the Spurs was delivered down the stretch in the second half largely thanks to the efforts of the second-year former Florida State Seminoles forward Patrick Williams.
The reigning All-Rookie Second-Team selection Williams was electric for the Bulls in this Summer League outing, which is a sign of his newly emerging confidence this offseason. Williams registered a game-high 30 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, no blocks, and three turnovers.
And P-Will shot 10-of-23 from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Patrick Williams continuing to show increased confidence for the Chicago Bulls in Summer League
Discounting a cold streak for P-Will shooting from the field in the second quarter, he was insanely efficient and productive for the Bulls in this win over the Spurs. The next best scorer in this game for either team was former Duke Blue Devils point guard Tre Jones, who had a team-high 23 on the night.
Not only was Williams a spark plug scorer for the Bulls in this game, but he was also a team-high +15 when he was on the floor. His efficient shooting especially from beyond the arc and the charity stripe really helped to get the Bulls the win here.
Two of the other highlighting Bulls players in this game were the rookie former Illinois Fighting Illini point guard Ayo Dosunmu and rookie former KK Mega Bemax big man Marko Simonovic. Dosunmu and Simonovic combined for 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists, seven steals, and one block.
The trio of P-Will, Dosunmu, and Simonovic, did a little bit of everything for the Bulls. And that’s what fueled this insane 22-point comeback to notch the win over the Spurs on this night.
The Bulls would rally here to get the 92-89 win over the Spurs to get on the right side of the win column in Vegas. There were five lead changes in this game, and the Bulls won the second half by a margin of 18 points.
And maybe the most encouraging sign that emerged from this outing was the breakthroughs in various forms of the trio of P-Will, Dosunmu, and Simonovic. P-Will especially is showing more confidence and aggressiveness.
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The difference with the increased confidence and aggression from P-Will on the offensive end of the floor was the efficiency that followed in this win. Next up for P-Will and the Bulls in the Summer League, at the halfway point, is a meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Aug. 12.