Hawks smother Bulls for second Summer League victory, 75-55

After the Hawks’ win against the Pelicans yesterday, Atlanta overcame a low scoring first quarter to cruise to an easy 75-55 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The Hawks had four players with double-digit scoring, but it was John Collins, Atlanta’s star rookie, who led the team with another double-double game for the Hawks with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

The first half started slowly as both squads struggled combining for 31 points in the first quarter. It was a downright ugly affair as the two teams combined for 9 out of 44 shots in the first. In the midst of a sloppy half, Deandre’ Bembry (14 points, 83% shooting) and John Collins (11 points, 8 rebounds) shined. The duo led the Hawks to a 28-12 second quarter point surge resulting in a 45-26 lead at halftime.

During the positive second quarter for Atlanta, an injury occurred when Tyler Dorsey sprained his right ankle as he stepped on Denzel Valentine’s shoe. Aided by two trainers, Dorsey went to the locker room and would not return for the game.

John Collins provided several highlights this afternoon. First, Collins did what he does best - dunk - and gave the game’s first highlight with a nice reverse slam.

Next, Bembry showed off some savvy passing skills which resulted in a transition basket for Diamond Stone.

The John Collins Dunkfest continued late into the second quarter as the rookie was rewarded for running the floor in transition.

In the second half, Atlanta maintained its lead behind the scoring of Bembry and Stone as Chicago failed to organize much on offense. By the time the buzzer sounded, Bembry (17), Collins (15), Kelly (13), and Stone (12) accounted for the majority of Atlanta’s offense.

Since there was a second half, there was another John Collins jam.

Like the previous two games, Deandre’ Bembry looked a step above the competition as he looks to become a consistent scorer and ball handler for the coming season. Diamond Stone stayed active in his second game for the Hawks and showed upside as a center with athleticism and defensive acumen. Although Taurean Prince (just four points) struggled against Chicago, his play from the last two games, and last season, proves this game was simply an outlier.

Atlanta’s young core of Bembry, Prince and Collins provided excitement and tangible growth for Hawks fans to look forward to when the regular season begins.

Until then, let’s watch John Collins smash home another dunk, just for fun.

Malcolm Delaney weighed in on John Collins’ performance, and we cannot disagree.

Stay tuned for continuing coverage from Las Vegas.