Josh Giddey’s maiden All-Star chances have suffered a blow, with the Australian struck down by injury on Tuesday.
Early in the third quarter of the Chicago Bulls’ home matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Giddey could be seen noticeably limping and clutching at his left hamstring after an innocuous play.
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On a night where star teammate Coby White also exited due to injury, a resigned Giddey then gestured for head coach Billy Donovan to call a timeout as he looked to make his way off the court.
“Pretty significant limp,” Chicago Sports Network play-by-play caller Adam Amin noted as Donovan called time-out.
“Not exactly sure what the pinpoint moment was, but watch Giddey after he passes this ball — a reach for the back of his left leg, and immediately called over for Billy Donovan (to call a timeout), and (then) limping off.
“There’s a real injury concern as you’ve lost your top two scorers in the last two quarters in Coby White and Josh Giddey.”
Broadcast analyst and Bulls great Stacey King added: “Those are two big losses … because those are the guys that handle the ball predominantly, 95 per cent of the time.”
Shortly afterwards, veteran reporter K.C. Johnson confirmed courtside Giddey would miss the remainder of the game with a left hamstring injury.
In 18 minutes of action, Giddey had managed 11 points on 3-10 shooting, four rebounds and three assists.
The Bulls wound up losing their second-straight match in a blowout, falling 136-101 to the Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid-led Timberwolves.
Earlier on Tuesday, it was revealed the 23-year-old Melburnian had finished 14th among Eastern Conference players in the first All-Star fan voting returns, looking to earn his first nod in his fifth NBA season.
But with voting running through until mid-January and a stint on the sidelines looming during that period, Giddey’s chances of notching that feat are in jeopardy.
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Going into the game with slight doubt over an ankle sprain but started for Donovan’s Bulls, Giddey made an inauspicious start to proceedings, missing his first three shot attempts and assisting just once in eight minutes of first quarter action.
Giddey made his first two shots of the second quarter and got to the free-throw line for the second time in a sign of his aggression.
He sank his first three-ball of the night to take his points total to 11, along with four rebounds and two assists, but continued to shoot poorly from the field — going 3-10 in the first half.
In the first quarter, Chicago was struck by a calf injury to star combo-guard White after seven minutes of action, initially causing Giddey to be more of an offensive focal point in the Bulls backcourt.
Johnson revealed courtside that White had a relapse of a pre-season injury that cost him time.
“This is the same right calf that sidelined White for the first 11 games of the season … obviously, that’s a troubling sign, and you hope for the best for White moving forward,” Johnson told the Chicago Sports Network broadcast.
King said: “You just hate to see that, because he just started to get back, get the rhythm with these guys after being out so long.”
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