Samsung NBA Summer League quarterfinal results: Sim Bhullar scores first points on a day of upsets

It was quarterfinal day at the Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas yesterday, with only eight teams remaining. While the consolation round concluded on Friday, in the championship bracket it was business time with each team being as close as three victories away from winning the competition.

Here’s how the quaterfinals turned out on Saturday:

(23) Charlotte Hornets vs (2) New York Knicks (Charlotte won 82-79)

P.J. Hairston

It was a day of huge upsets at the Summer League – shocking results that nobody saw coming. First it was the turn of the Knicks, who were having a dream run so far in Las Vegas, to be upset at the hands of the momentum-gaining Hornets. Charlotte were seeded 23rd of the 24 teams for the knockout stage after winning none of their group stage matches, but the team seems to be coming together when it matters the most, with its third consecutive upset on Saturday.

After upsetting higher seeded teams like the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans, the Hornets went about their business of handing out losses on the back of a collective team effort which saw as many as five different players scoring in double figures led by P.J. Hairston (15 points and 4 rebounds) and center Noah Vonleh’s double double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile for the Knicks, Sophomore guard Tim Hardaway Jr. continued his good form with a 27 point outing on Saturday.

(22) Atlanta Hawks vs (14) Houston Rockets (Houston won 78-71)

Two unlikely teams entering the last eight after beating the higher seeds in round 2 were going head-to-head in a quaterfinal to determine who would make it to the Final Four. The Hawks had two good games upsetting higher seeds but fell short in the last eight against the Rockets due to poor shooting. Although the team had a superior shooting percentage from the free throw line, the Hawks shot miserably from field (35.2%) and beyond the three point line (10.2%).

Rockets’ center Donatas Motiejunas has had a great tournament so far and continued his good run with a huge double double of 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Isaiah Canaan and Andre Dawkins each scored scored 12 points. The Hawks, which had five players in double figures, were led by Mike Muscala and Dennis Schroder who each had 16 points. The Rockets now face the team known for its upsets in the tournament – Charlotte Hornets.

(8) Sacramento Kings vs (1) Chicago Bulls (Sacramento won 80-61)

On the back of the most superior of points differential and number of points scored every quarter, the Chicago Bulls were named the first seed for the knockout stage of the competition and they proved their top seed in the match against the Philadelphia 76ers in round 2. However, in the quaterfinal game against the Sacramento Kings, the team would be playing without Summer League standout Doug McDermott.

Chicago had only two players scoring in double figures – Tony Snell (20) and Lazeric Jones (12), while the Kings had five players scoring in double figures led once again by Sophomore guard Ben McLemore and MarShon Brooks off the bench, with each having 11 points. For the Indian fans, the Sacramento win had a little bonus to it with 7 foot 5 inches center of Indian descent Sim Bhullar scoring his first points in three minutes of playing time.

(12) San Antonio vs (4) Washington Wizards (Washington won 95-94 in Triple Overtime)

By the time we reached the end of the day for the final quaterfinal, fourth seeded Washington Wizards were the only unbeaten team still in the competition. It took three periods of overtime and a monster game from Glen Rice Jr. for the Wizards to retain that status. Glen Rice Jr. had 36 points and 11 rebounds including a buzzer beating three in the second overtime period, which forced a third overtime.

Ealier in the game the Spurs were running away with the game on the back of a 20-1 second quarter run and they led at haltime by 10, but the Wizards answered in the quarter after halftime with their own run of 17-2 to make it a close game at 63-61. Forward for the Wizards Otto Porter contributed with a useful 27 points, with no other Washington player scoring above 10 except Rice Jr.

For the Spurs it was a slightly more balanced effort, with five players scoring double figures led by Austin Daye who had 27 points and 7 rebounds. Bryce Cotton chipped in with 16 but San Antonio fell short by a point as the Wizards continue their unbeaten run to the semifinals, where they face the Sacramento Kings.