Source : ABC NEWS
Josh Giddey continues to break NBA records but he can not seem to buy enough wins at the moment to get Chicago into the play-offs.
The 23-year-old Australian guard, who has six triple-doubles and 24 double-doubles for the Bulls this season, set a new personal benchmark for assists in a loss against Cleveland.
Giddey tallied nine points, six rebounds, 19 assists, one steal and two blocked shots, but the Cavaliers hung on to win 115-110 after the Bulls’ attempt to overhaul a 29-point third-quarter deficit fell short.
Giddey’s 19 assists is the most in a single NBA game by an Australian player, overtaking fellow Melburnian Ben Simmons’s previous high of 17. It is the most assists recorded in a game by a Bulls player since Ennis Whatley recorded 21 in a game against the Warriors in February, 1985.
Giddey has played 47 games in a productive yet injury-disrupted season and is averaging 17.7 points, 8.8 assists and 8.4 rebounds per game.
But the Bulls (28-41) are 12th in the Eastern Conference standings, having lost six of their past 10.
They are eight wins behind Charlotte, who occupy the final play-in spot, with just 12 games of the regular season remaining.
James Harden led all scorers at the United Center with 36, while Evan Mobley added 26 points and 14 rebounds for the East’s fourth-placed Cavs (43-27).
Luka drops 60 as Lakers extend winning streak
Luka Dončić continued his recent hot streak, tallying 60 points against the Heat. (AP Photo: Lynne Sladky)
In Miami, Luka Dončić scored 60 points and LeBron James had a triple-double on a night when he tied the NBA record for games played
The Los Angeles Lakers pushed their season-best winning streak to eight games with a 134-126 win over the Heat (38-32).
It tied the second-most points Dončić ever scored in a game, behind a 73-point night against Atlanta in 2024 and matching a 60-point night against New York in 2022.
Dončić — the NBA’s scoring leader — has now scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive games, while James finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists to help the Lakers (45-25) consolidate third place in the Western Conference.
“It wasn’t even like he was trying to force his way to get it [60 points],” James said.
“I mean, everything came in the flow. Once he got hot in that third [quarter], obviously he had a red hand and he just kept it going and then made some big time plays for us in the fourth … big time, big time, big time.”
Elsewhere on Friday, San Antonio is second in the West, but was pushed all the way by seventh-placed Phoenix.
Victor Wembanyama hit a mid-range pull-up jumper with 1.1 seconds left as the Spurs (52-18) wrapped up a play-off spot to end a six-season drought with a 101-100 win.
Wembanyama had 34 points and 12 rebounds, while Collin Gillespie top-scored for the Suns (39-31) with 24 points.
AAP/AP
