Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen deepened his position as an antagonist in Chicago during Wednesday’s 119-113 overtime loss to the Bulls at the United Center.
After a shoving foul by Patrick Williams midway through the third quarter, Allen flailed into Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, knocking the forward to the ground with his upper body. DeRozan jumped to his feet immediately, lunging at Allen while the Bucks’ Wesley Matthews and Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped into his path.
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Three Bulls teammates redirected DeRozan as he continued to shout down Allen, who retreated to the bench.
Although the play was reviewed for a foul, officials determined any contact between the players to be incidental and did not penalize Allen.
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It took several minutes for DeRozan to fully cool off. A minute later, a verbal conflict between DeRozan and Bucks forward Bobby Portis earned double technical fouls as the players jawed at one another.
Allen hasn’t stepped onto the court at the United Center without being greeted by boos since last January, when a midair collision in Milwaukee sent Alex Caruso crashing to the court, fracturing his wrist. Bulls players accused Allen of being purposefully dirty on the play, which sidelined Caruso for more than six weeks.
Already carrying a reputation for dirty play during his college career at Duke, Allen has been treated as a heel since he joined the NBA in 2018.
