Denzel Valentine pulled up for one of the worst heat-check shots you will ever see near the end of the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday, and the announcers who were calling the game did not hold back with the criticism.
Valentine made some big shots down the stretch to help the Bulls chip away after being down more than 20 points. However, the bench player got carried away when he grabbed a rebound with Chicago trailing 101-96 and less than a minute remaining. Valentine dribbled up the court and pulled up from about 30 feet. The result was an air ball, and Bulls announcers Adam Amin and Stacey King were disgusted.
No no no no no no no no no no no no Denzel Valentine!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/l8yp4mroI9
— Gustavo (@iamvega1982) April 25, 2021
The mind-boggling shot cost Chicago any real chance to win. Valentine acknowledged that after the game.
“I had made three in a row before that. It was a bad shot,” he admitted, via K.C. Johnson of NBC Chicago. “I just kind of got lost in the game.”
Here’s another angle that shows just how badly Valentine missed:
Denzel Valentine with the heartbreaking shot pic.twitter.com/dIDEZoyeYu
— Bears Barroom | Barroom Network (@BearsBarroom) April 25, 2021
You can understand why Valentine was feeling it after hitting some big shots, but pulling up from 30 feet in that situation is inexcusable — especially for a role player. There are probably only a few players in the NBA (think Stephen Curry) who could get away with that.
If you remember, Valentine had some issues with the previous Bulls regime over his role on the team. A few more of those shots and there might be some tension with the new coaching staff, too.
H/T UPROXX
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