Contrary to what many had expected, the Chicago Bulls have begun the 2021-22 season in the best possible manner. Well and truly the underdogs of the East, the Bulls have romped to a 3-0 start in the regular season. On Saturday, Billy Donovan’s side picked up a dominant 97-82 victory against the Detroit Pistons. But one incident in particular that created a lot of buzz, was Nikola Vucevic viciously taking out his opponent Luka Garza.

Chicago Bulls dominate proceedings vs Pistons

The match kicked off on a fairly even note, as both teams fought hard in the first quarter. Star duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine shined for the men in red and white, combining for 35 points on the night. In the process, LaVine also tied Michael Jordan’s numbers for most threes for the franchise. Aside from the pair, center Nikola Vucevic was all over the court, bullying the Detroit players. Meanwhile, 22-year-old forward Saddiq Bey was the lone ranger for the Pistons.

Barely giving their opposition a sniff in quarters two and three, the Bulls pretty much buried the game. In the final 12, Detroit managed to rack up some crucial confidence-boosting points, but in vain. With Chicago’s performance stealing the limelight,a potentially horrific incident went relatively unnoticed. In a brutal move, the Montenegrin Vucevic elbowed Garza. Take a look.

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Nikola Vucevic brutally elbows Luka Garza during Bulls win

As the match kicked into fifth gear, the Bulls were on the attack. The powerful Nikola Vucevic was on the ball, and ready to drift in towards the basket. Standing in his way, was young Luka Garza. The forward, highly inexperienced, is still in his rookie days in the league. Yet, he received a firecracker of a welcome, courtesy the 31-year-old.

Charging to the net, Vucevic went in for a 1-2 move. Unfortunately, he ran straight into Garza and hurt him with a vicious elbow to the face. The 22-year-old fell to the ground and was dazed for a couple of moments. Shockingly, after further checks, the officials ruled against Vucevic as a flagrant foul. The positive side for Garza? The incident awarded him his first points in the NBA, and most certainly not the last.

Although the flagrant foul didn’t affect the result of the game, it was a dashing blow. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls are looking more and more like dark horses by the day. Can they go all the way and give their fans a taste of the yesteryears?

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