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SALT LAKE CITY – A skirmish broke out near the end of the Chicago Bulls’ road win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
The fight began after Jazz guard Collin Sexton fouled DeMar DeRozan with nine seconds left and Utah trailing by one. After the foul, Sexton and injured Bulls forward Torrey Craig began exchanging words in front of the Bulls bench, causing tempers to flare.
Things escalated when Jazz forward John Collins and Bulls assistant coach Chris Fleming got into a brief shoving match. Video replays showed Fleming initiating contact with Collins, who then appeared to approach Fleming’s throat before being restrained and separated.
“I ran. I’m standing there. And the coach comes up and pushes me for no reason,” Collins said. “Everyone can go see the movie. And I just protected myself. I’m literally standing there, and the guy puts his forearm on my chest and pushes me back. Then I do not know. He needs some more self-control. But it is whatever. I don’t know what to say about that. That was weird.”
Craig was called for a technical foul, while Collins and Fleming were called for a double technical.
Many other players flocked to the incident, along with team security, but it was unclear if other players intended to break things up or escalate the matter further.
“What it looked like to me was I saw DeMar get fouled,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “I don’t know if he was grabbing his face or holding his face. I think Torrey said something. Obviously they came. Chris Fleming, I think, was trying to keep everyone separate. And then from there it escalated and I was trying to get everyone else out. At that point, I just stepped in to break it up a little bit.”
Donovan classified Wednesday’s game as a playoff-like contest even though both teams were missing multiple key injury contributors.
The Bulls, playing the second of a four-game road trip, controlled the game for much of the night. But the Jazz, losers of 12 of their last 16 games, refused to go away quietly. Every time the Bulls built a double-digit lead, Utah fought back. After the fight, Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson drew a technical foul to tie the game at 117-117.
“I don’t see it at all from a Utah situation,” Donovan said. “I look at it from our situation. And in my opinion, we have to be better in those moments. Because we didn’t just lose a point because of a technical foul. We have also frozen our free throw shooter. And I give a lot of credit to DeMar for being mentally strong enough.
“I understand the emotion and intensity of the games. But at the same time, whether it’s complaining, getting angry or getting frustrated, it doesn’t help anything. And we have to be able to do a better job than that in every way. And I’m not just talking about the players. On the bench. All. We have to be better in those moments.”
DeRozan made both free throws after extensive referee review, putting the Bulls ahead 119-117. Clarkson and Sexton missed go-ahead 3-pointers in the final eight seconds.
“I was just hoping and praying that it wasn’t the worst outcome as far as them making multiple free throws,” DeRozan said. “Taking the lead, just changing the game because of a little fight. “Anything could have happened.”
It was the second and last meeting between the two teams. Chicago swept the series, beating the Jazz by 17 in Chicago in early November.
However, Collins said this demonstrated Utah’s competitiveness.
“We’re not going to give in to anyone,” Collins said. “We are going to compete to the death every time we can. And we want to win. There are no losers in this locker room.”
But his run-in with Fleming was his first.
“I’ve talked to some coaches,” Collins said. “But I’ve never had a coach touch me like that. That was the first time.
“For a coach to touch me is unacceptable.”
(Photo: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)