DeMar DeRozan is not a player that is generally known for losing his cool on the basketball court, but even the most level-headed players can get heated from time to time. DeMar snapped at Moritz Wagner during the Chicago Bulls’ loss against the Orlando Magic on Sunday, confronting him in an altercation after an intentional foul.
DeRozan broke free after stealing the ball from Wagner and looked set to score an easy layup or dunk on the break. Moritz got back in a hurry though and stopped DeRozan from getting airborne with an intentional take foul to prevent the easy basket. DeMar took exception to this, and sought Wagner out immediately, shoving him lightly in the chest, clearly angry with the decision to foul.
The altercation could have escalated too, with Wagner responding aggressively trying to get DeRozan’s hands off of him, but their teammates and the referees quickly got involved to stop it from becoming anything bigger. The take foul is a frustrating but common occurrence in the NBA, so the duo seemed to cool down after being separated.
DeRozan’s frustration also makes sense considering that the Bulls were beaten convincingly by the Magic. Orlando outscored Chicago by 16 points in the first half and never relinquished their lead, going on to comfortably win by 19 points. DeMar himself dropped 41 points on the night but it wasn’t enough to save the Bulls, who succumbed to their 2nd straight loss and fell to the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference.
Wagner was instrumental to the Magic’s victory, scoring 23 points in the game, but he is starting to gain a bit of a reputation for himself after he also clashed with Luka Doncic a few games ago. DeRozan is a veteran and generally not one to get too heated but it’s possible that Grayson Allen’s recent flagrant foul on his teammate Alex Caruso was playing on his mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bF47PqmF3k
