Chicago Bulls get inadvertent revenge on Grayson Allen
Whether or not it was on goal or, as Derrick Jones Jr. insists, by chance, the Bulls have lastly (type of) gotten their payback on Grayson Allen. In a late January matchup between the Bucks and the Bulls, Allen had a flagrant 2 foul that put Bulls level guard Alex Caruso out of fee for months with a damaged wrist.
Bulls followers and gamers have been livid, and the backlash on Allen was harsh. He obtained a one-game suspension, which Milwaukee publicly disagreed with, and Bulls coach Billy Donovan had some sturdy phrases for Allen on the post-game press conference.
Final evening, in an in depth sport that Chicago ended up dropping, 118-112, Jones Jr. hit Allen within the head together with his elbow and hip-checked the previous Duke star whereas defending a layup try. Allen fell to the bottom, however bought up shortly, not severely injured. Jones Jr. was handed a flagrant 1, and whereas many Bulls followers delighted within the payback foul, the Bulls ahead insisted that the elbow hit had been unintentional.
“I’m not a grimy participant,” Jones Jr. stated after the sport, per ESPN. “Actually, I talked to each ref that was there at present. I didn’t suppose that was a flagrant. They stated I hit him in his head. I didn’t even really feel it. I simply felt him bump my hip and fall. That’s all I felt.”
Since signing with the Bucks in 2021, Allen has shortly emerged as a villain for the Bulls fanbase, who loudly booed him each time he got here out on the courtroom or touched the ball on the United Middle final evening in a sport that left the Bucks and Bulls tied for the third-best document within the Japanese Convention. Allen is used to the boos, although, and said as a lot, having drawn a good few from rival crowds throughout his Duke years.
There have been questions of whether or not the Bulls, losers of 4 straight, would attempt to get some type of revenge on Allen for severely injuring their beginning guard, and Tristan Thompson fed the rumor mill on that query, regardless of solely having been with Chicago for 2 weeks.
“Take one in every of my canine out like that, we’re gonna have points,” Thompson said Thursday. “You gotta set the tone. What he did affected one in every of our guys, and I don’t suppose anybody ought to overlook about that.”
Each Donovan and Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer appeared to wish to simply transfer previous the incident, and Jones Jr. (who additionally bought a highlight-reel dunk on reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo) instructed reporters that he would by no means have flagrantly fouled somebody on goal, maybe throwing a jab at Allen himself, who has been infamous for soiled play since his faculty years.
“I wish to get a cease as a lot as they wish to get a cease on the opposite finish,” Jones Jr. stated. “What occurred in Milwaukee, we didn’t prefer it. It’s apparent we didn’t prefer it. No one favored that. However, I imply, I’m not going to go on the market and simply attempt to take a person out.”
