Josh Giddey has returned to the court in style, putting up 26 points as the Chicago Bulls fell to the Utah Jazz 150-147 in a double overtime thriller on Monday (all times AEDT).
Giddey missed Chicago’s last two games with an ankle injury but hardly looked hampered as he continued his strong start to the 2025-26 season, adding 13 assists and 12 rebounds in the loss.
With it, Giddey joined Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan as the only players in Bulls history to record a 15/5/5 streak spanning eight games or more in a single season.
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Turnovers were an issue for the Australian, who put the ball in harm’s way six times, but otherwise it was a very solid return from the 23-year-old as the Bulls’ losing streak extended to five games.
Giddey wasn’t the only big name to return to the line-up for the Bulls, with star guard Coby White also making his season debut and scoring a team-high 27 points off the bench.
It was the first time Chicago had its two first-choice guards available, although Kevin Huerter got the start in the backcourt alongside Giddey with White entering the game late in the opening quarter alongside Ayo Dosunmo.
White had an instant impact too as he splashed a 3-pointer within two seconds and while Giddey was on the bench at that point, the Australian later paired up with his usual backcourt partner to end the second quarter as they combined to score Chicago’s final 14 points.
Giddey then later found White for a clutch 3-pointer to bring up a double-double as the Bulls took a 123-120 lead entering the final two minutes.
The Jazz later jumped ahead 124-123 before an aggressive Giddey drove towards the rim and drew a foul on Brice Sensabaugh, making both free throws to put the Bulls up again 125-124.
Giddey then got the floater to fall late as he traded points with Lauri Markannen, who proved hard to stop for Utah with 47 points on the night.
Giddey had a chance to win it late but put too much on the layup as the game went to overtime locked at 127-127.
With White hitting his minute’s restriction in his first game back, even more playmaking responsibility fell on Giddey’s shoulders and the Australian immediately produced as he drove towards the rim and drew a foul.
Giddey split the difference at the free throw line and then missed a 3-point attempt soon after as the Jazz jumped ahead 132-128.
The Australian made no mistake on Chicago’s next possession as he got the mid-range floater to fall but Utah continued to build its lead, going up 136-132 with 45 seconds left.
A desperate Bulls team brought White back into the game, although it was Giddey creating points again, albeit in unconventional fashion, as he regathered his own potential turnover and then found Matas Buzelis for the dunk.
White then helped force a steal and later a jump ball and while the Bulls weren’t able to capitalise on the initial turnover, White was able to get downhill for the layup to send it to double overtime.
White started the second overtime period on the bench but once again, with the Jazz threatening to run away with the result and the Bulls in need of a spark, he was quickly injected back into the game.
His gravity alone spoke for itself, with White drawing in two defenders as he found Isaac Okoro for a wide-open layup and despite it being his first game back from injury, the Bulls were getting the ball in White’s hands as much as they could because something good happened every time they did.
With that in mind, it was hardly surprising to see Giddey hand it off to White with the Bulls needing a bucket trailing 147-145 with just over 20 seconds left.
He drew a foul and subsequently made both free throws to give Chicago a chance, but Keyonte George, who had 34 points on the night, splashed a 3-pointer with just 0.8 seconds on the clock to give the Jazz the win.
Magic end NY Knicks winning run | 00:45
DYSON CLUTCH IN EPIC HAWKS COMEBACK
Dyson Daniels flirted with a triple-double and helped the Atlanta Hawks rally hard in the fourth quarter to take down the Phoenix Suns 124-122 for their fifth-straight win.
Down by 18 at the final change, Atlanta dominated the final stanza 47-27 to complete an epic comeback on the road.
Daniels scored nine of his 11 points during the Hawks’ fourth quarter avalanche including a big-and one to get them within 113-114 with 2:44 remaining.
That was followed by Daniels assisting Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu on two important buckets in the final two minutes to cap off a massive stretch from the Aussie.
Okongwu and Jalen Johnson made a series of clutch fee throws inside the last 30 seconds and Royce O’Neale missed a 54-foot heave on the buzzer that could’ve won the game for Phoenix.
Daniels finished with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds, 12 assists and three steals in the win.
It marked the 11th double-double of his career — and his second this season — taking on greater offensive and ball handling responsibilities with Trae Young sidelined.
The 22-year old also extended his consecutive games with a steal streak (66) in the opening five minutes of the game. He’s now 11 games shy of tying Michael Jordan (77) for the third-longest streak in NBA history.
Okongwu’s 27 points led Atlanta and Johnson (25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists) and Alexander-Walker (26 points) also came up big.
There was a scary moment involving Daniels earlier in the game after he was left dazed following a brutal friendly fire collision.
Daniels was bowled into by Dillon Brooks on an offensive drive late in the second quarter. It caused Daniels, who tried to draw a charge, to fly back as his head crashed into teammate Okongwu’s knee.
Brooks converted the shot and Daniels was called for a foul, with Hawks coach Quin Snyder unsuccessfully challenging the call.
Daniels stayed down on the ground for some time and didn’t return for the final 1:53 of the half, likely due to picking up his third foul, with the Aussie seen standing on the bench.
He wasn’t the only Hawk in the wars, with former No.1 pick Zaccharie Risacher going down hard in a scary fall after a fast break dunk midway through the fourth term.
The French forward charged at the rim so fast that he flipped backwards and crashed down onto the hardwood on his side.
Risacher grimaced on the floor for some time as Hawks officially circled around him. Thankfully, he was able to get up and walk off to head to the locker room, before being ruled out for the rest of the night with a hip issue.
Atlanta’s fifth-straight win saw it improve to 9-5 to sit fourth in the East, despite Young missing the last nine games with an MCL injury.
KD COMES UP BIG AS ROCKETS SURVIVE OT THRILLER
Kevin Durant poured in a season high 35 points and Alperen Sengun narrowly missed a triple-double as the Houston Rockets outlasted the Orlando Magic in an overtime thriller 117-113.
The Rockets botched a chance to win the game with 5.3 left in the fourth quarter in a near calamitous error.
Alperen Sengun turned over the ball on the inbounds play, then fouled Anthony Black on a fast break slam which put Orlando up 102-100. But Black missed the free throw to give Houston another chance to tie or win the game with 1.4 left.
And Sengun made amends for his previous error, with Amen Thompson spearing a pass to the Turkish big man paint as he nailed a tough turnaround hook shot over Jonathan Isaac to force overtime.
Durant stepped up in overtime with a clutch jumper to extend the Rockets lead to 113-110 with 9.2 seconds left.
Wendell Carter deliberately missed a free throw in the dying seconds in an attempt to give Orlando another chance to win the game, but he was called for a lane violation as Houston escaped with the victory.
ALL RESULTS
Clippers 118 Celtics 121
Kings 110 Spurs 123
Nets 129 Wizards 106
Magic 113 Rockets 117 (OT)
Warriors 124 Pelicans 106
Trail Blazers 133 Mavericks 138 (OT)
Bulls 147 Jazz 150 (2OT)
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