Jahmir Young drops 36 as Bulls surge past Bucks
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Jahmir Young drops 36 as Bulls surge past Bucks


Dustin Riese Dustin Riese  ·  Senior Writer ·  

LAS VEGAS - Although the Summer League is nothing but a glorified scrimmage, it's always nice when the Chicago Bulls (2-2) find a way to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 1-3. That is exactly what went down on Wednesday as the Bulls picked up their second consecutive win in the summer, knocking off the Bucks 102-96.

This was a game that was ultimately decided by one run, as the Bulls used a massive fourth-quarter surge to grab the lead before holding on for the win. After watching a back-and-forth first quarter that saw both teams deliver knockout blow after knockout blow, it was the Bucks who had the last laugh as they used a 9-0 run to end the quarter with a 27-22 lead.

Stanley Umude played a massive role in that, knocking down back-to-back threes as part of his 15-point night. Milwaukee continued to impose its will throughout the second quarter as the play of Cormac Ryan (15 points) and Chris Livingston helped the Bucks open up a 55-45 lead at the break. Livingston had his way with the Bulls most of the game as the Bulls had no answers for him on the inside or in transition.

However, the big story of the game was the play of Jahmir Young, who not only led all scorers with 36 points, the third most in a game this summer, but dropped 21 first-half points to keep things close. Had it not been for his effort, the Bulls would've been run out of the gym, so seeing his performance has to make the Bulls extremely happy.

Even with Young struggling to find the bucket in the third quarter, it was the Bulls finding a way to battle back as Javon Freeman-Liberty and company started to pick up the slack across the board. Arguably the most consistent player on the Bulls roster this summer, Freeman-Liberty continued to put up big numbers as he added 23 points despite not hitting a single three-pointer.

Trailing 75-69 after three quarters of play, the Bulls not only opened the fourth with seven quick points to take the lead but also used a massive run to seize control of the game. The combination of Yuki Kawamura and Maozinha Pereira was a significant factor in the quick start, as Kawamura had the defense on skates, while Pereira scored the first seven points of the quarter for the Bulls.

That was only the start of what was a massive run for Chicago as they opened up the fourth quarter on an 18-2 run to put Chicago in front 87-77. Once again, it was Young coming through in the clutch as he awakened from a sluggish third quarter by knocking down back-to-back threes to put the Bulls back in front for good.

In total, the former Iowa State product had a massive fourth quarter, nearly equalling his entire first-half output by scoring 13 points. Milwaukee did their best to keep things close for the remainder of the game and managed to pull within four points only to have the Bulls put things away from the line late, 102-96.

This was one of those games where two players dominated the Bulls' offense, as they struggled to produce across the board. Kawamura continues to be a fan favorite in Vegas, as he may have had just nine points, but he does it while bringing plenty of excitement by making some of the best passes in the game. He is going to be one of the toughest roster decisions for the Bulls when the Summer league ends, as he has done more than enough to earn a spot.

The same can be said about Emmanuel Miller, who already has a two-way deal but would like to earn a spot on the NBA roster. Although his scoring was down in this game, with only nine points, he still displayed other areas of his game that often get overlooked, with 10 rebounds.

Unlike the Bulls, who relied on two players to shoulder the offensive load, Milwaukee had five players in double figures, with three of them single-handedly keeping the Bulls off balance. Pete Nance (14 points) and Tyler Smith (11 points) were the other two players to secure double figures for the Bucks, as they both had their moments in this game. Eliminated from Summer League title contention, the Bulls will close out Summer League play on Friday when they face off with the Utah Jazz.

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