Josh Giddey is wasting no time proving that he is worth every dollar of his fresh $153m contract, with his efforts on the court continuing to impress the NBA world..
Giddey, 23, continued his push to earn a maiden All-Star selection, recording his second consecutive triple-double of the season against the 76ers.
The Australian ended the two-point win over Philadelphia on Wednesday with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, while also setting up Nikola Vucevic to score the match-winning 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining.
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Giddey drove to the basket before hitting Vucevic with a pass for the corner 3 on the game's decisive possession. Meanwhile, Philadelphia's Quentin Grimes missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won it.
Giddey is the first Bulls player to have back-to-back triple-doubles since Michael Jordan in 1989.
"He's playing at a high, high level this year," Bulls great Stacey King said on the live broadcast of the match.
https://twitter.com/SBN_Ricky/status/1985911794972414079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1985926282081628305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/AndrewDBailey/status/1985941930363249117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
"Sometimes when you get these big contracts, the pressure gets to these players … but he has not struggled. He looks like an All-Star.
"He knows when his team needs to score, and he's become aggressive when they need a basket most from him.
"This kid is a phenomenal player. He's 23 years old, and I think people forget that.
"He is an exciting player, he's starting to feel so much more confidence now, knowing that this is his team… he is just running with that [opportunity].
"If he keeps playing like he's playing, he'll be an All-Star this season."
Vucevic finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Isaac Okoro added 16. The Bulls held the Sixers to just 16 points in the fourth quarter.
The Sixers scored 45 points in the first to take an 18-point lead and stayed in front for the majority of the game. Tyrese Maxey scored 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting from 3-point range during the early offensive outburst.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 24 points late in the second quarter, but rallied to cut the deficit to 95-84 by the start of the fourth. Chicago continued chipping away, pulling within 111-110 on Giddey's basket with 1:19 left.
The two teams have been some of the best in the NBA during the season's opening weeks. Chicago improved to 6-1 while Philadelphia fell to 5-2.
Maxey led the 76ers with 39 points on 14 of 26 shooting, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Joel Embiid scored 20 and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18. Rookie VJ Edgecombe had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The popular half time performer Red Panda made her NBA return at the game.
The Chinese American — whose real name is Rong Niu — broke her wrist during a performance on July 1 and missed roughly four months.
Up next
76ers: At Rocket Arena against Cleveland at 11am AEDT on Thursday.
Bulls: At Fiserv Forum against Milwaukee at 12pm AEDT on Saturday.
– Additional reporting by Alyssa Bone
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