Nuggets improve to 4-0
Ty Lawson continued to impress just about everyone in the building as another steady performance at point guard helped Denver stay unbeaten in NBA Vegas Summer League with an easy 99-71 win over debuting Chicago in the first game of the day on Tuesday at Cox Pavilion.
Lawson had 18 points, four assists and just one turnover in a game the Nuggets led by 37 points after three quarters.
The former North Carolina star came out on fire, scoring 13 points in the first quarter to help the Nuggets jump out in front.
John Lucas III led Chicago with 15 points in the loss.
Protect the ball
While Lucas led the Bulls in scoring, it was not his most impressive stat.
The former Oklahoma State star did not have a turnover in the game.
Ordinarily, that’s an insignificant tidbit of information. Not in this game.
Chicago struggled to hold on to the ball and Lucas was the only player to see action and not commit at least one turnover.
The Bulls committed 25 in the game.
Nice backcourt
Denver’s starting backcourt for the game was as impressive as any we’ve seen all week.
Ty Lawson started at the point, while veteran shooting guard J.R. Smith took the court with him and played 15 minutes.
Smith scored just nine points on 3 of 5 shooting, but helped out defensively with two steals.
It was hardly a fair matchup from the beginning against Chicago’s backcourt of John Lucas and Derrick Byars.