In the heat of Chicago’s matchup against the New York Knicks, Torrey Craig embarked on an adrenaline-fueled self-alley-oop attempt that would have raised eyebrows if not for the unexpected collision that ensued.
As the Bulls raced against the Knicks, trailing 36-27 in the second quarter, their momentary momentum shifted when Bojan Bogdanovic fumbled the ball and Andre Drummond swiftly seized the opportunity. He handed it off to Craig, setting up a 3-on-0 breakaway for the Bulls. An unmissable scoring chance presented itself.
But in a surprising turn of events, Craig, Drummond, and Coby White found themselves heading straight toward the basket with no defenders in sight. As Craig approached the arc, he hurled the ball off the glass, his aim to soar for a spectacular dunk.
Drummond’s Unintended Assist
Unfortunately, Drummond had a different idea. He mistook the lob off the glass as intended for him and leaped with the same fervor, aiming to slam it home. The collision was unavoidable as the duo met in midair, resulting in Craig crashing to the court and the ball bouncing away from the rim.
The miscue was recorded as a missed field goal for Craig, with Bogdanovic snagging the rebound. To make matters worse, Drummond’s collision left him with a rolled ankle, forcing him to exit the game in a wheelchair.
Donovan’s Displeasure
The blunder didn’t go unnoticed by the Chicago Bulls head coach, Billy Donovan. He expressed his dissatisfaction with what he interpreted as Craig’s showboating, stating, “It’s not what I’m about and not what our team should be about.”
The costly error didn’t just end there. The Knicks, who never relinquished their lead after the collision, held the Bulls captive, ultimately securing a 128-117 victory over the struggling Bulls, who now sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
While the Bulls were left with a loss to ponder, it was the unorthodox and unfortunate collision between Craig and Drummond that became the talk of the game, reminding fans that sometimes a self-alley-oop can be a recipe for disaster, especially when teammates aren’t on the same page.
