Wichita’s Caleb Grill, KC’s Tamar Bates had impressive NBA Summer League finales

Former Missouri Tigers men’s basketball standout and Wichita native Caleb Grill cracked double figures for the first time as a pro in the Chicago Bulls’ 105-92 win over John Tonje and the Utah Jazz in the NBA Summer League on Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Grill scored 18 points to go with three rebounds and a steal, shooting 7 for 13 from the field and 4 for 9 from 3-point range. Tonje’s night was on the opposite side of the spectrum, as he finished with four points, six rebounds and two assists on 1 for 9 shooting.

Another former Mizzou star, Kansas City, Kansas native Tamar Bates — playing for the Denver Nuggets’ squad in Las Vegas — also had a memorable Summer League finale (more about him in a moment).

Only the top four teams are advancing to the summer semifinals in Vegas; those teams are the Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings.

Grill’s highlight of the night came when he rattled the rim with a reverse dunk to give the Bulls a 101-81 with 2:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The two-handed jam was one of many dunks from the SEC Sixth Man of the Year. His first came with 8:51 left in the second quarter and his second was off a no-look, behind-the-back pass from guard Yuki Kawamura with 5:11 remaining in the game.

The former gave Chicago a 26-12 lead, and the latter extended the Bulls’ advantage to 90-68.

Grill also showcased his marksmanship from distance, drilling three 3-pointers from the top of the key and one deep ball from the left wing. The first top-of-the-key shot made it 17-10 with 3:19 left in the opening period while the second gave the Bulls a 72-46 lead with 2:49 remaining in the third.

Grill’s final 3 stretched Chicago’s advantage to 88-68 with 5:35 left in the game. The left-wing conversion extended the Bulls’ lead to 33-14 at the seven-minute mark in the second.

Tonje — who played just eight games for the Tigers during the 2023-24 season — scored his lone field goal to cut the Jazz’s deficit to 78-62 with 9:29 remaining in the final frame.

Denver Nuggets 106, Los Angeles Lakers 84: Bates followed Grill’s first double-digit outing with his third of the offseason showcase in the Nuggets’ win over DaJuan Gordon and the Lakers.

Bates finished with 11 points and two rebounds, shooting 4 for 5 from the field and 1 for 1 from 3-point range. Gordon — who played at MU during the 2021-22 season — totaled five points, five rebounds and a steal on 1 for 6 shooting from the field.

Bates’ efficient night featured a turn-around bank shot to give the Nuggets a 15-14 lead with 4:30 left in the first quarter. His other opening-period points came from a perfect trip to the free-throw line to give Denver a 2-0 lead with 9:13 remaining, a left-wing 3 to make it 9-3 with 7:24 left and a paint shot to extend its advantage to 11-5 with 6:51 remaining.

Bates’ final made field goal was a conversion under the basket to cut Los Angeles’ lead to 39-37 with 4:54 left in the second quarter.

Gordon’s only field goal was a 3-pointer from the right corner. It gave the Lakers a 54-52 lead with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter.

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian

This story was originally published July 19, 2025 at 9:24 AM.