Aussie rising star Josh Giddey took on a crucial new role on a night that could prove ‘pivotal’ for his future.
And while Giddey copped a tough loss, it was fellow Australian Patty Mills who had a real night to forget, scoring just one point in 28 minutes of action in a brutal defeat.
All that and more in today’s NBA Wrap!
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BIG MOVE TO UNLOCK GIDDEY’S POTENTIAL
Since being selected with pick six of the most recent draft, 19-year-old Giddey has lit up the NBA with his laser-like passing game, basketball IQ and knack for pulling down rebounds.
Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault has been blown away by the Aussie.
“He’s a really good player. He’s just getting better and better every month,” Daigneault said.
Daigneault has been so impressed by Giddey’s on-ball play that he is set to give the Aussie more opportunity to lead the Thunder’s offence going forward.
Daigneault explained that when Giddey and the Thunder’s other starting guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander share the court on offence, the Aussie can now expect to have the ball more often.
Fans got a taste of the change in the Thunder’s 124-104 loss to the high-flying Phoenix Suns on Friday afternoon (AEDT).
“It’s going to take a load off Shai,” Daigneault explained.
“Josh is really good on ball and part of maximising the team is nurturing that.
“It’s an evolution of those two players who are really good players that we are going forward with.”
Giddey lauded Gilgeous-Alexander for agreeing to the move, which will take opportunities away from the American on offence.
“It speaks to how he is as a guy,” Giddey said.
“He’s really unselfish. He could have 50 (points) a lot of nights. He buys into what we’re trying to build here.
“I love playing with him. I think our chemistry is getting better. I think in a few years we could be one of the best back courts in the league.”
“I know to be one of the best teams in the league, which we want to be very soon, you’ve got to have multiple guys that can play on ball,” Gilgeous-Alexander added.
The move may just help Giddey shatter even more records than he already has since arriving in the NBA.
Giddey had scored a triple double in each of the Thunder’s last three games prior to Friday.
He is now the first, second, third and fourth youngest player in NBA history to record a triple double and the first rookie since the 1960-61 season to post one in three consecutive games.
Giddey scored 15 points and added nine rebounds and six assists in the 124-104 defeat to the dominant Phoenix Suns. Gilgeous-Alexander – on his return after nearly a month out injured – led the game with 32 points and added five assists, but had six turnovers in his new role.
The Phoenix Suns were playing their first game since losing veteran point guard Chris Paul for up to eight weeks with a broken thumb
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PATTY MILLS HAS A HOWLER
Patty Mills is one of the sharpest shooters in the NBA, but the Aussie gun just couldn’t get a shot to fall for the undermanned Nets in a blowout 129-106 loss to the Boston Celtics.
Mills hit 0-9 from the floor including 0-5 from beyond the arc, scoring just one point in his 28 minutes on the court. He added three assists and a rebound but finished with a plus-minus of -18 in a tough defeat.
Mills wasn’t the only Nets player struggling from deep, with the team scoring just 7-29 (24.1%) from beyond the arc.
Seth Curry led the Nets with 22 points and 7 rebounds, while Jayson Tatum put up 30 points, 7 rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Celtics. Al Horford had 13 rebounds with his 11 points in a dominant double-double effort inside the key.
DEROZAN GOES OFF AGAIN
DeMar DeRozan notched his eighth straight game with at least 35 points to power the Chicago Bulls to a 112-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday as the NBA returned to action after its All-Star break.
DeRozan scored 37 points and pulled down six rebounds, capping his night with the decisive basket in Chicago’s sixth straight victory.
The Hawks were up 108-107 when DeRozan put Chicago in front with a turnaround shot. Fouled on the play by Bogdan Bogdanovic, DeRozan converted the free throw, and with 15 seconds remaining, Bogdanovic missed Atlanta’s final attempt.
The victory saw the Bulls edge half a game ahead of Miami for the Eastern Conference lead.
DeRozan, 32, has been the Bulls’ driving force, re-emerging this season as a formidable scorer.
The former Raptors and Spurs forward returned to the All-Star Game on Sunday and his exploits have him in the Most Valuable Player conversation.
His eight straight games of 35 points or more are just two shy of the best such streak in Bulls history, set in 1986 by NBA icon Michael Jordan.
Only five other players have had such a streak in the NBA: Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and James Harden.
JA MORANT RETURNS AFTER INJURY SCARE
Elsewhere, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119-114. D’Angelo Russell scored 37 points and handed out nine assists for the Timberwolves.
Ja Morant scored 20 points for the Grizzlies but was sidelined briefly after hurting his left leg in the third quarter as he tried to dribble around an opponent on a fast break.
Morant spent several minutes on the bench with a sore left thigh before departing for the locker room. He returned in the final quarter but missed a potential game-tying three-pointer with five seconds remaining.
In Detroit, the Pistons stunned the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-103. Rookie Cade Cunningham sealed the win with four late free throws, finishing with 17 points.
FULL SCORES
Nets 106 Celtics 129
Thunder 104 Suns 124
Timberwolves 119 Grizzlies 114
Bulls 112 Hawks 108
Pistons 106 Cavaliers 103