By Jeff Edgerton, RotoWire
LAS VEGAS — The Chicago Bulls defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 95-83, in the first round of the Las Vegas Summer League playoffs at Thomas and Mack Center on Wednesday.
The Mavericks charged ahead early and led by 13 at the end of the first quarter, but Chicago quickly responded with a 27-point second quarter to take the lead at the half. The Bulls never relinquished the lead due in large part to excellent shot-making from beyond the arc, where they converted 15 threes in 33 attempts. Dallas could only muster an ice-cold 28.6 percent from long range.
Antonio Blakeney followed up his 23-point performance on Tuesday with a 28-point tally, as the G-League standout once again demonstrated why he was a marquee player for the Windy City Bulls last year. Wendell Carter continued his strong summer league play with 19 points and nine rebounds, and fellow first-round pick Chandler Hutchison pitched in with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double in the win.
Second-year player Kyle Collinsworth led the Mavericks with 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Phil Greene was the only starter to log double-digits for Dallas, as the former St. Johns point guard tallied only 10 points in the loss.
The Bulls will now move on to the second round of the tournament on Saturday, where they will face the winner of Wednesday’s Pistons-Timberwolves game. The Mavericks, on the other hand, await their consolation matchup.
