First-round draft pick Buzelis scores 15, Bulls win summer league opener
First-round pick Matas Buzelis scored 15 points and the Bulls won their summer league opener Saturday by beating Milwaukee 96-89 in Las Vegas.
Buzelis, a 6-9 forward who grew up in West suburban Willowbrook, didn't shoot well (4-for-15), but he showed off his all-around skills, finishing with 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists.
Three players shared high-scoring honors with 17 points — returning veterans Julian Phillips and Adama Sanogo, plus free agent Javonte Smart. Sanogo finished with 12 rebounds, while Phillips had 10.
Phillips was a second-round pick last year. Sanogo, the former UConn center, will be a second-year, two-way player for the Bulls. Smart finished his college career at LSU in 2021 and has been playing overseas.
Among others who have played for the Windy City Bulls, Henri Drell scored 6 points and Andrew Funk had 5. Rookie Marcus Domask, who starred in college at Illinois and SIU, scored 2 points in seven minutes.
Several current Bulls, including Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry, sat courtside. The coach of the Bulls summer squad is Billy Donovan III, who will take over as head coach of Windy City next season.
The Bulls' next game is against Golden State at 9 p.m. Sunday.