Josh Giddey has been copping it from the vocal and raucous Minnesota fans.
The Australian star was booed loudly at Target Centre whenever he got the ball in Wednesday’s clash (all times AEDT) between Oklahoma City and the Timberwolves.
It comes as the NBA opened an investigation into Giddey amid allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a minor, though the Thunder young gun is currently free to play subject to any actions from the league.
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Giddey’s second game since the claims emerged was much more hostile than the first in front of his home fans.
Experiencing the toughest crowd of his three-season career, Giddey was was jeered from the moment he touched the ball in the first quarter as it was clear he was going to be targeted by Wolves supporters all game.
The only time the Aussie was cheered was when he turned the ball over early in the second term, then he again when he missed a free throw minutes later.
The brutal treatment didn’t stop in the second half either, with Giddey booed throughout the fourth quarter.
Furthermore, Giddey in the third term was blocked at the rim by Rudy Gobert to the sound of loud cheers, while the 21-year old was again cheered later in the period when he missed a three-pointer.
Potentially adding to the hostility was that the Wolves and Thunder are Northwest division rivals – and currently sitting first and second respectively in the Western Conference standings in what made for a competitive showdown.
Though there are plenty of NBA fan bases more renowned for their vocal crowds, both for good and bad.
Giddey starts for OKC amid investigation | 00:50
A game that was largely tight all the way through, OKC raced out to a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter but wasn’ allowed to get any more separation from Minnesota as the hosts stayed at arms length.
The Wolves continued to claw back the lead in the third before taking the lead midway through the period after Anthony Edwards made a technical foul.
In grim scenes however for Minnesota fans, Edwards had to exit for the locker room later in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on an aggressive drive to the rim minutes earlier – first trying to play through the setback before succumbing to the pain.
Edwards returned to the bench in the fourth quarter but didn’t return to the game, with the Timberwolves leading 93-90 midway through the term.
Edwards’ 21 points led his team, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted 28 points for the Thunder and Giddey had 10 points and six rebounds
The Aussie came out of the game with 4:34 left before returning briefly.
MORE TO COME.
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