What a difference 24 hours makes.
Josh Giddey and the Chicago Bulls have pulled off a shock upset over title contenders Denver Nuggets 130-127 a day after a double overtime road loss in Utah.
Giddey racked up an equal team-high 21 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and two steals to lead his team’s stunning turnaround against teams at either end of the Western Conference standings.
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The Bulls snapped a five-game losing streak in their biggest victory this season on Tuesday (all times AEDT) — a game they went into as heavy 15-point underdogs — while ending the 10-3 Nuggets’ seven-game win streak in a game that went down to the wire.
While the Aussie shot an efficient 8-of-12 from the field, it was his work on the glass that really shone including four offensive rebounds to get his team extra possessions.
Chicago survived a monster triple-double from Nikola Jokic (36 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists) and season-high 34 points from Jamal Murray as the Nuggets dropped their first game at home.
Jokic recorded his 48th career triple-double, tying Russell Westbrook and Luka Doncic for the second-most in NBA history behind Oscar Robertson (108).
In fact, Jokic (nine) is the only player in the NBA with more triple-doubles than Giddey (three) this season.
In the most telling part of the game, the visitors’ bench outscored Denver’s 66-9 in a stunning discrepancy and largely the difference between the sides.
It was a sloppy start from both teams including a combined 4-of-16 shooting display in the early minutes, with Giddey looking to pass more than attack the paint.
The Nuggets led 11-3 early and were in front for the majority of the first term, until Chicago’s bench took over late in the period to give the visitors a 30-28 edge.
The Bulls surged ahead 50-32 midway through the second term in a dominant run as Denver looked like the team coming off a double overtime match
But Denver’s starters got them back in the game in an emphatic 32-13 five-minute response — doubling its score in that period — including consecutive threes to Cam Johnson inside the last two minutes.
After a back-and-forth start to the third term, the Bulls, like in the first term, took over midway through the period.
A Giddey layup gave Chicago the lead back at 83-181 with 5:31 left in the third, before he made a pair of free throws a minute later to extend their lead.
The Bulls extended their advantage to 103-93 at the final change.
Denver gradually clawed away the scoreboard in the fourth quarter behind a hot Murray.
Giddey helped spark Chicago’s offence with six-straight points for the visitors — a pair of free throws, a floater that was called a goaltend against Peyton Watson and a crafty layup high off the glass.
His eight-foot jumper gave Chicago the lead back at 118-117 with two minutes left.
A monster Jokic 3-pointer — after being 0-of-5 prior — revived a Denver 120-118 lead, but Chicago responded with a 5-0 run.
Nikola Vucevic buried his own big triple with 33.4 left that pushed the Bulls lead out to 126-122.
It would be ultimately be the game-winning play, though Vucevic very nearly let Denver back in the game after fouling Jokic on a full court pass with 1.7 seconds left.
It gave the Nuggets one final shot attempt as Jokic hoisted one final deep three to win the game, but his shot missed considerably.
The Bulls, who started the season 6-1, improved to 7-6 to get above .500 again and climbed from the East’s No. 11 seed into No. 8.
ELSEWHERE …
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is reportedly facing an injury lay-off of a “few weeks” after the team confirmed the Frenchman had suffered a left calf strain.
The news came on the same day Giannis Antetokounmpo exited Milwaukee’s loss to Cleveland in two potential massive injury blows that could have key ramifications on the season.
The Spurs said in a statement the 21-year-old was injured during the team’s game against the Golden State Warriors last week.
“The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Victor Wembanyama underwent an MRI that revealed he has a left calf strain,” the Spurs said in a statement.
“The injury occurred in (Saturday’s) game against the Golden State Warriors. The team will provide updates as appropriate.”
Although no timetable for Wembanyama’s return was given, ESPN reported that the towering centre would miss a “few weeks.”
Wembanyama had been listed as questionable to play in San Antonio’s win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday and ultimately played no part in the fixture.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said the team were erring on the side of caution in their handling of Wembanyama’s calf problem.
“Obviously, we’ve seen around this league recently, the calf-tightness thing is not something you want to take lightly,” Johnson said.
“Don’t want to push it there.”
Former No.1 Draft pick Wembanyama has made a dazzling start to the season, averaging 26.2 points and 12.9 rebounds in 12 games.
Wembanyama returned to the court after a lengthy lay-off last season caused by deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
-Via AFP
ALL RESULTS
Cavaliers 106 Cavaliers 118
Pacers 127 Pistons 127
Clippers 108 76ers 110
Knicks 113 Heat 115
Hornets 108 Raptors 110
Mavericks 96 Timberwolves 120
Thunder 126 Pelicans 109
Bulls 130 Nuggets 127
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