The Wizards wrapped up their 2023 Summer League campaign with a Saturday afternoon game against the Bulls. Jules Bernard led the way for Washington off the bench, but they couldn't find enough firepower to overcome hot shooting performances from Dalen Terry and Javon Freeman-Liberty. Final score: Bulls 90, Wizards 85.
With Ryan Rollins, Johnny Davis, Bilal Coulibaly, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Xavier Cooks all sitting out, the door of opportunity was open for the entire Wizards Summer League roster. Bernard wasted no time taking advantage.
The Wizards' offense got off to a slow start, but when Bernard checked in midway through the first quarter, he made it rain buckets. He scored 10 first-quarter points in only five minutes of action and helped Washington get their offense back on track.
Bernard even sparked an 18-0 extended run for the Wizards that lasted from the end of the first quarter into the beginning of the second quarter.
The Bulls responded in a major way. Terry and Freeman-Liberty led the way for Chicago and refused to let them lose. Terry scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from deep to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Freeman-Liberty was somehow even better, pouring in 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point territory. He also added seven boards, five assists, two blocks and one steal.
Washington didn't go down without a fight, but ultimately, Chicago executed at a higher level down the stretch and came away with a 90-85 win. Bernard finished with a team-high 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Tristan Vukcevic had a slow start but finished nicely, dropping 15 points and hauling in eight boards.