Midway through the third quarter of Wednesday’s game between the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, Grayson Allen barreled into and pushed DeMar DeRozan after making contact with Patrick Williams. DeRozan immediately took exception to Allen’s action and shot back up to confront the sharpshooting wing before Wesley Matthews restrained him. A number of other players on both teams, along with the officials and a handful of others, helped keep DeRozan and Allen separated and diffuse the situation a bit.
After the game, which Chicago won in overtime, 119-113, DeRozan explained that Allen’s history of questionable — at best — plays was the basis for his frustration.
“It’s his track record,” DeRozan said when asked why he had such a strong reaction to this play. “If it was Boban (Marjanovic), I wouldn’t have done nothing.”
DeRozan on the Grayson Allen play: “It’s his track record. If it was Boban, I wouldn’t have done nothing.” pic.twitter.com/cNc0r19ogz
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) December 29, 2022
Dating back to his tenure at Duke, Allen’s long been involved in these sorts of plays where his contact always seem more than necessary and/or brazen. In fact, last season, his flagrant 2 on Bulls guard Alex Caruso, which led to Caruso breaking his wrist, earned Allen a one-game suspension.
Given Allen’s resume, and the fact 11 months ago he played a role in DeRozan’s teammate’s injury, it’s entirely understandable the veteran scorer responded the way he did.