Josh Giddey recorded his seventh triple-double of the season to strengthen his bid for a maiden All-Star nod as the Chicago Bulls again got the better of the Atlanta Hawks.
Without compatriot Dyson Daniels in the Hawks’ lineup due to hip inflammation, Giddey and the Bulls took advantage on the offensive end, surging back from an early deficit to win 126-123 on Wednesday and extend their winning streak to four games.
The 23-year-old Giddey, who hit a dagger shot with less than a minute remaining, finished with 19 points on 8-15 shooting, 11 rebounds and 15 assists.
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With 39.8 seconds remaining, Giddey physically drove on Hawks star Trae Young in what was a size mismatch before finishing over the smaller guard to make it a three-point Chicago advantage that the visitors didn’t let up in the waning moments.
Aussie NBA stars go head-to-head | 00:51
It was the Bulls and Hawks’ second meeting in three days after the clubs combined for a whopping 302 points in Atlanta, and they again ran up the scores in the Peach State.
Chicago, now 14-15, entered Wednesday’s contest on a three-game winning streak after having gone an uninspiring 5-15 in its previous 20 games, as Giddey came in with averages of 20.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game.
The Aussie floor general found Isaac Okoro and then Matas Buzelis in the corner for back-to-back three-balls for his first couple of assists of the night.
He then got on the scoresheet with an aggressive straight-line drive to the basket.
Chicago was again a doormat defensively in the early going, conceding 36 first-quarter points.
Giddey got off to a meagre shooting start but recorded five assists in a facilitative opening period.
In the second stanza, Giddey knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to assert himself from a scoring standpoint.
By half-time, he was already well on his way to his seventh triple-double of the season, totalling eight points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Giddey secured the impressive feat early in the third quarter after bodying the smaller Trae Young, spinning in the lane and floating a shot home.
Giddey became just the sixth player in NBA history to tally 25 career triple-doubles by the age of 23, joining Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and fellow Australian Ben Simmons.
Writing about Chicago’s recent winning streak for Sports Illustrated in the US, Bulls beat reporter Elias Schuster said: “Best thing about this three-game win streak (has been that) Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis look legit.
“Win or lose, the development of these two remains the biggest storyline of the season. The Bulls need them to continue to take steps forward.”
Giddey was central to the Bulls’ fourth-quarter fightback, scoring seven points in the period as the visitors outscored the Hawks 34-18 in the final 12 minutes.
Ball security remains one of the key improvement points for Giddey, who had a game-worst seven turnovers yet was the night’s main ball-handler along with Atlanta’s Young.
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