Grayson Allen starred in a controversial moment on Friday night when he stopped Alex Caruso at the rim in a terrible way. The Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls clashed in an electrifying game that can easily be the 2022 Eastern Conference finals.
The game didn’t lack emotions and the Bucks were able to beat the Bulls 94-90 at Fiserv Forum behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 30 points and 12 rebounds. In the 3rd quarter, Giannis’ teammate Allen tried to stop Alex Caruso on his way to the rim, almost injuring the guard.
The former Duke player dragged Caruso to the ground, who was in pain after hitting the floor. The play granted Allen a flagrant foul 2 and immediate ejection from the game, as well as plenty of criticism from fans around the league.
After the game was over, Caruso had some things to say about the play and Allen, calling him out for making a dangerous play when he was in the air. The 2020 NBA champion didn’t suffer a big injury, but there’s no doubt that play could have been a lot worse for the former Los Angeles Laker.
“Dude just grabbed me out of the air. Kind of bullshit.”
Caruso on Allen foul: "Dude just grabbed me out of the air. Kind of bullshit."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 22, 2022
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan also condemned the play, saying it could have been a lot worse for the guard.
Billy Donovan goes off on Grayson Allen: "It could've ended his [Caruso's] career" pic.twitter.com/Mf2TJN0upn
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) January 22, 2022
This was Billy Donovan’s full initial answer in which he went in on Grayson Allen for his flagrant-2 on Alex Caruso: pic.twitter.com/pviJvZobXB
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) January 22, 2022
Just like Caruso and Donovan, other figures had something to say about Allen’s play, including Richard Jefferson and plenty of fans who blasted Grayson, recalling that he was considered a ‘dirty player’ during his college days.
Grayson Allen giggling after receiving a flagrant 2 and being ejected seems pretty on brand for him.
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) January 22, 2022
In the end, Allen had the last laugh since his team won the match in a duel against a direct rival. That won’t change the perception about him, as many fans don’t think he should be an NBA player.
Fortunately, fan-favorite Caruso is healthy and good to go, but things could have been bad for the guard.
