NBA Summer League 2016: Scores and Highlights from Sunday's Las Vegas Results
The 2016 NBA Las Vegas Summer League semifinals got underway Sunday.
In the first matchup, the Minnesota Timberwolves sought to continue their Cinderella run as the 24th seed against the fifth-seeded Phoenix Suns. That was followed by a clash between the 14th-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and second-seeded Chicago Bulls, who were a perfect 5-0 coming in.
Below is an overview of the results from Vegas, along with recaps of each contest ahead of Monday's finale. For the complete bracket, visit NBA.com:
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 93-83 | Phoenix Suns |
| Chicago Bulls | 85-79 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Sunday Recap
Minnesota Timberwolves 93, Phoenix Suns 83
Trailing by five points at halftime, Minnesota took control after the break, including a 26-17 edge in the final quarter, to advance to the summer-league final.
Wolves point guard Tyus Jones took over on the offensive end and found immense success while driving to the basket. The former Duke star hit 11 of 13 free throws and was 9-of-17 from the field en route to a game-high 29 points to go with six assists and two turnovers.
NBA 2K gameplay producer Zach Timmerman weighed in on Jones' NBA future and how he fits with rookie lottery pick Kris Dunn moving forward:
"We want it bad. We've come this far, and we're going to try to bring it all home," Jones said afterward, per the team's official Twitter account.
As Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated highlighted, Jones' standout play this summer garnered him MVP honors:
Adreian Payne posted a double-double for Minnesota with 18 points and 10 rebounds—including 12 points and eight boards in the last quarter, per Timberwolves PR.
Troy Williams also made a living at the charity stripe, missing just one of 15 attempts to lead the Suns with 24 points. Guard Askia Booker came off the bench to net 19 points for Phoenix, but the team's 35.7 percent shooting was its undoing.
Jones' counterpart, Tyler Ulis, hit the game-winning three-pointer for the Suns on Saturday but struggled Sunday with 11 points on 5-of-21 shooting, seven assists and four turnovers.
CBS Sports' Zach Harper had an interesting theory on the Wolves' Vegas tactics as they brace for Monday's decisive game:
The point guard position appears bright in Minnesota between Jones, Dunn and Ricky Rubio. It may create a conundrum for new head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau, who could consider trading Rubio if Jones continues playing at a high level.
On the other hand, this is only the summer league, so anything that happens must be taken with a grain of salt.
To focus on more immediate matters at hand, Minnesota has the inside-out combination of Payne and Jones to give either the Cavaliers or Bulls headaches in Monday's final showdown.
The Wolves already have a promising young nucleus featuring reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns (20), 2014-15 NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins (21) and Zach LaVine (21). Any contribution Jones or Payne can provide would be an added bonus and expedite Minnesota's ascent in the Western Conference.
Chicago Bulls 85, Cleveland Cavaliers 79
The Bulls' perfect record appeared to be in jeopardy when they spotted Cleveland a 46-36 halftime advantage. Then Chicago turned it on in the second half, rallying much like the Wolves did to improve to 6-0.
It was a balanced scoring effort from the Bulls' stellar starting five, who all scored in double figures, led by center Christiano Felicio's 18 points.
A stalwart defense also helped Chicago's winning cause. The victors forced the Cavs into 17 turnovers while only committing six giveaways, which largely offset a woeful shooting performance of 36.4 percent.
Bulls playmaker Denzel Valentine missed his first six shots before getting on track in the third quarter, finishing with 13 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals. Reserve guard Spencer Dinwiddie made it six Bulls in double digits with 10 points of his own.
Cleveland's backcourt of Kay Felder and Jordan McRae played well with 22 and 16 points respectively, but didn't get enough help to pull out the "W." They accounted for eight of Cleveland's turnovers too.
Solid as Minnesota has played of late, it's hard to argue with the Bulls' record. They seem to have great cohesion for a group that's been together for such a short period of time.
But in terms of the point guard matchup, Jones got the better of Ulis by far in the Wolves' win on Monday, and figures to give his squad an edge in that area over the likes of Jerian Grant and Dinwiddie.
