The Chicago Bulls have been eliminated from NBA Cup advancement after falling to the reigning champion Boston Celtics 138-129, but Josh Giddey flashed eye-catching improvement in a key part of his game.
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It wasn’t a big scoring night for the 6’8 floor general on Saturday, finishing with four points on 2-6 shooting, but again it was his facilitation and vision as a passer that drew plaudits — adding a game-high nine assists to go with eight rebounds and an overall plus-14 rating.
But Giddey’s defence also impressed against the stealthy Celtics, recording three steals and playing solidly at the point of attack.
“Giddey up to nine assists and eight rebounds and playing some of the best defence of his season thus far,” veteran Bulls reporter K.C. Johnson noted on X during the contest.
However, unfortunately for the fourth-year guard, he was again not a part of head coach Billy Donovan’s lineup to close the tight game despite his two-way success — continuing a trend of erratic second-half rotation for the Australian.
Giddey played a total of 24 minutes; the least of Chicago’s starters and eight fewer than Ayo Dosunmu’s next-least 32 minutes.
Instead, veteran guard Lonzo Ball — recently returned from a wrist injury — played 22 minutes including the clutch portion of the bout, notching two points, five assists and two steals.
Johnson called the development ‘unexpected’, with Giddey benched for the final 8:43 of the nine-point loss.
Giddey’s defensive shortcomings have been a point of contention as the talented ball-handler seeks a long-term contract at season’s end, but it was a strong suit against a stout Celtics unit.
Boston superstar and MVP candidate Jayson Tatum dropped 35 points on a mega-efficient 12-18 shooting from the field, also adding 14 rebounds and five assists to his line.
Earlier on NBA Cup Saturday, 24-year-old Australian guard Josh Green initiated a stunning sequence in the Charlotte Hornets’ loss to the New York Knicks, scoring four points in the space of a couple of seconds at the end of the first half.
Green made a pull-up jumper with 1.1 seconds left before stealing the ball on the ensuing inbounds pass and dropping in another shot while twisting around.
The Hornets fell by one point, with Sydney native Green scoring 15 points on 6-12 shooting.
In Atlanta, Dyson Daniels’ Hawks claimed back-to-back wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and ensured their NBA Cup advancement with a 16-point win.
Guard Daniels recorded seven points on 3-10 shooting with seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block — finishing an overall plus-10.
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