Even an “angry” triple-double blast from Josh Giddey couldn’t propel the Chicago Bulls to a desperately needed victory on Thursday (AEDT).
Elsewhere, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a non-contact lower leg injury after trade speculation intensified around the Milwaukee Bucks star.
The Bulls’ disenchanted slide extended to five straight defeats – a torrid spell marked by porous defense – as the low-ranked Nets, led by flamethrower Michael Porter Jnr, triumphed in Chicago 113-103.
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Before Thursday’s game, the Bulls’ opponents had averaged 127.9 points over the last 10 games — and while Brooklyn hasn’t been as big, it has comfortably surpassed its league-worst season average of just 108.8 points per game.
Giddey was by far the Bulls’ best player in a game equal to most 36 minutes of action, scoring 28 points on a very efficient 10-14 shooting, with 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
It was an offensive struggle for Chicago to start the second quarter, with a Giddey layup at 8:16 scoring the first points of the period as Brooklyn began to gain the upper hand.
The six-foot-eight point guard continued to be aggressive on his runs, aggressively using his body to shoot at the rim or pick off a shooting teammate.
“Josh is going to float with a triple double almost every night, okay? He’s your Haliburton guy,” Bulls great and analyst Stacey King said on Chicago Sports Network.
“What you need from the rest of these guys is you need to surround him with a (Pascal guy) Siakam.”
With just over four minutes left in the first half, Giddey was assessed a technical foul after pinging a referee for what he thought was an earlier foul during a drive to the basket.
But the Australian general made amends after Michael Porter Jnr’s free throw, rushing to the rim for a fierce dunk on the next possession.
“That might be the angriest I’ve seen Josh Giddey all season,” play-by-play caller Adam Amin said.
“Upset and frustrated by the technical foul, and he went to the rim for a dunk…let’s see if that brings some life to what was a flat first half performance for the Bulls.”
King added: “They don’t want to see an angry Giddey. » It was only his third dunk of the season.
“Josh is slowly becoming a leader on this team – a little more vocal, you can see sometimes when the Bulls aren’t playing well, he’s slapping his hands saying ‘let’s go, let’s go’,” King later continued of the burgeoning Australian.
“That’s what you want from your point guard. You want your point guard to be a leader…he’s been a leader his whole life – every team he’s played on, he’s been the leader, so it shouldn’t be any different here.”
Giddey finished his half with a field goal and a field goal to bring his total to a team-best 15 points on 4-7 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists.
But 44 points was Chicago’s lowest first-half total of the season, when they trailed the Nets by 10 points.
The 23-year-old, who started his third quarter the same way he ended the first half by scoring at the rim, also served his teammates effectively as the Bulls made their run.
“Giddey has been the most aggressive player on the Bulls here,” Amin said.
Midway through the third, Giddey scored over 21 points with nine rebounds and eight assists.
Earlier, coach Billy Donovan had promisingly given Australian center forward Lachie Olbrich first-quarter minutes in Jalen Smith’s injury absence, and King was quick to heap praise on the Illawarra Hawks product.
“I know stats don’t always tell you how well a player has played, but he comes in with energy, he’s got a motor, he doesn’t stop moving. I mean, the kid just needs time,” King said.
Olbrich confidently launched a corner three but remained scoreless through his first four minutes.
In Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo suddenly collapsed to the ground as he returned to defense after assisting a bucket to AJ Green in the opening minutes of Milwaukee’s upset win over Detroit 113-109.
The 30-year-old was able to leave the field without help.
“Uh oh, Giannis down. It doesn’t look good. It’s not good in the league. He went down immediately, called by the coach,” commentator Marques Johnson said.
Milwaukee said Antetokounmpo suffered a right calf strain that ruled him out for the rest of the game.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the game that he believed the team had ruled out an Achilles injury, with Antetokounmpo scheduled to undergo an MRI.
The Bucks rallied without their superstar in a clash against Detroit, the No. 1 seed in the East.
Kevin Porter Jr. led the way with 26 points and seven assists and Ryan Rollins added 22 points and eight assists as Milwaukee was well represented by its guards.
That saw the Bucks improve to 10-13 as they likely prepare to be without Antetokounmpo for a while before a stretch against tough opponents from the East – Philadelphia, Detroit again, then Boston.
Thirteen of Milwaukee’s next 19 games will be away from home, followed by games against OKC and Denver.
This comes after Rivers dismissed any suggestion that Antetokounmpo requested a trade from Milwaukee.
The head coach was forced to address rumors that Antetokounmpo requested a trade ahead of the Bucks’ game against the Pistons.
“There was no conversation,” Rivers told reporters.
“I want to make it clear, I would say again, but for the 50th time, it’s clearly not going to happen to one network, that’s for sure. Giannis never asked to be traded. Ever. I can’t be clearer.”
The “only network” Rivers was referring to would be ESPN, which reported that Antetokounmpo and his agent were speaking with the Bucks about his future and “discussing whether his best option was to stay or move elsewhere.”
The report also states that a resolution is expected in the coming weeks.
Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks is uncertain, and during the offseason it was reported that he was interested in being traded to the Knicks and that New York was granted an exclusive trading window for a period of several weeks in August.
Other teams are believed to be interested in the NBA champion if the possibility of a trade opens up.
A few weeks ago, while Milwaukee was at MSG, a Post reporter first mentioned to ESPN about the possibility of a summer trade with the Big Apple, Antetokounmpo said he didn’t “remember that.”
“Right now, I’m here to represent my team, and that’s it. We beat the Knicks. So it doesn’t matter,” he said.
“What matters right now is we have a game in two days… try to stay locked in and get two in a row.
“But I didn’t read that article. I try to stay away from all the rumors, speculation and chatter. It doesn’t concern me at all. I try to get involved and I try to help my team win games.”
The Bucks started the season strong, with a 4-1 record, but they have lost eight of their last nine games, including a damning loss to Washington on Thursday.
-Parts of this story were first published in the New York Post and reproduced with permission.
ALL RESULTS
Trail Blazers 122 Riders 110
Nuggets 135 Pacers 120
Spurs 114 Magic 112
Mowers 115 Falcons 92
Hornets 104 Knicks 119
Nets 113 Bulls 103
Kings 95 Rockets 121
Pistons 109 $113
Heat 103 Nonconformists 118
