Vučević didn't intend payback with hard foul on Allen originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Payback was not on Nikola Vučević's mind when he committed a hard foul on a driving Grayson Allen during the Chicago Bulls' 127-106 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night.
In fact, Vučević didn't know it was Allen that he had clobbered until after the fact.
"I just saw somebody drive, and I saw that I was late (to rotate)," Vučević told reporters after the game. "I was trying to swipe at the ball, but because he (Brook Lopez) pushed me, it kind of looked worse than it did."
Indeed, Vučević's swipe went haywire when Bucks center Brook Lopez hip-checked him from behind, altering his balance and thrusting his momentum wildly into Allen's path. That led to an awkward clothesline as Allen launched into a layup attempt, which sent the Bucks guard sprawling to the floor.
Lopez was called for an offensive foul for the maneuver in the moment, and only after review was Vučević assessed a technical for the blow he delivered Allen.
Opinions differed across party lines on the ultimate ruling.
"I think it crossed the line," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Vučević's foul. "The refs thought it was not enough to be flagrant. It was just a dead ball technical foul."
Added DeMar DeRozan: "Nah. If anything, the foul happened even harder with Lopez pushing him into him (Vučević). But I felt like even with that Vooch was going for the ball. I didn't think it should have been a technical foul. My intention wasn't payback or anything."
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Budenholzer offered some insight into the explanation for the ruling, saying that James Capers told him the officials reviewed the play "four to five times," but found no evidence of a wind-up on Vučević's part.
"My intention wasn't to foul or to injure or anything," Vučević said. "I think it just looked worse in the moment. I mean, when you look at the replay, it's not even that bad. I don't even understand why I got a tech for it."
Still, both Vučević and Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who diplomatically said he concurred with the official's ruling but respected Budenholzer's opinion, understood why the play was questioned. There is history with Allen, dating back to him fracturing Alex Caruso's right wrist with a flagrant foul in a game on Jan. 21. In the moment, Donovan and Caruso forcefully decried the play as a dirty one.
That background is why the Vučević play — despite being done unintentionally — drew a loud ovation from the United Center crowd, and an initially perturbed reaction from the Bucks bench.
But on this occasion, both the Bucks bench and Allen agreed with Vučević's assessment.
"I didn't make anything of it. I honestly didn't hear the whistle, and I don't think (Vooch) heard the whistle either," Allen said. "I had the ball in my left hand, so I think he was coming across my body to make a play on the ball."
"I talked to him (Allen) right afterwards, no big deal," Vučević said. "Their bench reacted, because they thought (the foul was intentional at first). But then right after they saw the replay, a couple of their players came to me and were like, 'Yeah...'
"I mean, I told them it wasn't my intention, and then after they saw the replay they saw that it wasn't — like, I wasn't trying to hard foul him on purpose. It just happened the way that a play develops."
Now, Vučević has a technical to dispute.
"Hopefully I get my money back for that tech," he cracked with a smile.