The clutch can get intense for any NBA player, especially when it's a close game. John Collins did not have the best time as the Utah Jazz went up against the DeMar DeRozan-led Chicago Bulls. With roughly nine seconds left in the game, he had an unfortunate confrontation with both Torrey Craig and assistant coach Chris Fleming.
It started out as a scuffle between Torrey Craig and John Collins. The catalyst for the conflict was the back-and-forth chirping between Collin Sexton, Collins, and Chris Fleming. Then, emotions got the best of the Jazz forward as he proceeded to use his brute force on Chris Fleming. The benches of both teams started to get up.
Things get HEATED in the final seconds of Bulls-Jazz š
John Collins is seen shoving Bulls assistant coach Chris Fleming.pic.twitter.com/vLMizTnsJr
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 7, 2024
Andre Drummond even started going after Collins. Thankfully, he was not able to reach him. The confrontation was quickly de-escalated as heads started to cool down in the dying seconds. Officials had to review the incident for a while. They gave unsportsmanlike fouls to Fleming, Craig, and Collins.
The game ended with the Bulls narrowly escaping their opponents by two points. Big performances by DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Ayo Dosunmu had been tainted with this unfortunate event. Collins and Sexton were also racking up big numbers for the squad but it was to no avail.
The Bulls now move up to 30 wins after the game while the Jazz's postseason hopes slowly shut in front of them due to this 35th loss for the season.
Big numbers in Bull-Jazz
The scuffle may have been what this game will be known for but players still poured their hearts out up until crunch time. DeRozan knocked down 10 out of 21 of his field goal attempts while going perfect seven of seven on free throws for 29 points. He also recorded seven assists and grabbed six rebounds. Vucevic also notched a monster double-double with 23 points and 12 boards. Ayo Dosunmu then ran a clinic on facilitating an offense. He dropped nine assists while scoring eight points.
Collins was also instrumental to keeping the Jazz within striking distance. He sank notched 25 points and recorded 14 big rebounds. It is just unfortunate that tensions rose and he had to resort to being physical.
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