Thomas scores 24 as Cavs top Bulls in teams' summer finale

Updated: Jul 17, 2026, 10:21 pm

Rookie Meleek Thomas scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 100-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls in the finale of the NBA summer league for both teams Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The Cavaliers used a dominant second quarter to take control of the game and held on despite a late push from Chicago. Malaki Branham contributed 13 points and five assists for Cleveland, while Riley Minix and Tre'Von Spillers each scored 12 points. Spillers added nine rebounds, and Xaivian Lee chipped in 10 points off the bench.

For the Bulls, Donovan Atwell led the team with 22 points on 8-of-10 from the field, including 6-of-7 from 3-point range. Jaylin Sellers scored 17 points, Kennedy Chandler added 12 points and four assists, and Tobe Awaka pulled down eight rebounds.

Chicago started strong, building a 21-15 lead after the first quarter. Cleveland responded by outscoring the Bulls 30-16 in the second period to take a 45-37 advantage into halftime. The Cavaliers extended their lead to as many as 15 points in the second half.

The Bulls played without their two 2026 first-round draft picks, Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain, who were held out of the final game. Thomas, the 34th pick in the draft, capped an impressive summer league for the Cavaliers with his performance.

Chicago mounted its late comeback when Sellers hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final minutes to keep the game within reach. However, a pullup jumper by Ian Martinez with 56 seconds remaining pushed the Cleveland lead to 11 and helped secure the victory.

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