Bulls News

Curious Alex Caruso left wondering about the NBA's L2M assessment of Paolo Banchero's post-up game-winner

Banchero's post shot leaves Caruso wondering about the late-game no-call.

Nick Raguz

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Alex Caruso isn't entirely convinced about the narrow loss of the Chicago Bulls against the Orlando Magic as he is curiously wondering if there was a late-game mishap on the side of the officials.

As he returned to the Bulls lineup on Wednesday after missing the last two games due to a sprained left toe, Caruso seemed perplexed about a potential missed call on the side of Paolo Banchero, who made the game-winning shot over his contest.

"He made a tough shot. The ball bounced like four times on the rim and went in," Caruso said. "Without saying too much, we'll look at the Two Minute Report and see what happened with the foot movement for Paolo. Overall, I tried to make it tough on him."

Failed rally by the Bulls

The Magic-Bulls Wednesday showcase went down to a crunch time as the home team recovered after being down by as much as 19. With DeMar DeRozan unavailable due to a family matter, Zach LaVine assumed the hero role for the Bulls as he knotted the scorecard to 94-all via a clutch three-pointer with 17.3 seconds left.

After a timeout, the Magic directed their last play to Banchero – who drew Caruso as his defender. With his length, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year went near the block for a low post and fired a go-ahead jumper, which went in with 1.4 seconds remaining, 96-94.

With no timeouts left, Chicago only settled for a hail-mary response. Patrick Williams failed to throw a shot over halfcourt as the time expired. Orlando escaped the Bulls' comeback efforts as the Magic bench mob embraced Banchero's heroics.

Where is the help?

Meanwhile, head coach Billy Donovan openly admitted that the Bulls could have done a better job against Banchero if they were able to give Caruso a necessary help defense.

With a size advantage on his side, Banchero punished the smaller Caruso on the final play. As the 21-year-old was able to create space for a shot, the entire Chicago crowd could only go home with such disappointment.

"Alex bodied him, got him off," Donovan said. "As he got closer to the lane line and he went, we probably needed to bring a few more hands to alter the shot a little more."

Miami Heat, in dire need of another guard, may try to bring Chicago's Alex Caruso

Published
Nick Raguz
NICK RAGUZ

Nick's journey has been an exciting fusion of basketball and the written word. A former basketball player himself, he possesses an insatiable appetite for all things NBA-related, spanning from the captivating tales of old-school NBA to intriguing statistics and the latest updates from the association.

Home/News