NBA fans are continuing to lose it over Australian teen star Josh Giddey, who today was instrumental as Oklahoma City stunned the Lakers with a giant comeback.
Giddey finished with 18 points and 10 assists, while fellow guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 as OKC flipped a 26-point deficit into a 123-115 win over title hopefuls the Lakers.
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It was the 19-year-old Australian’s first win in the NBA with OKC ending an 0-4 losing streak to start the season.
Giddey shared his excitement on Twitter after the game.
https://twitter.com/joshgiddey/status/1453556955914674177
As has been the case since the season started earlier this month, the No.6 pick in this year’s draft continued to earn praise among pundits.
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Former Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager turned media icon, Bobby Marks, said he will be watching many OKC games this season due to Giddey.
https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1453550791848042501https://twitter.com/CrainNBA/status/1453548610474348548https://twitter.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/1453561675974541314https://twitter.com/royceyoung/status/1453551261761032196
It wasn’t all smnooth sailing for Giddey though, with the Aussie having one moment he will wish he could take back.
The Thunder led 118-115 with 9.7 seconds left when Lakers star Carmelo Anthony intercepted an inbounds pass by Giddey, a pass which should’ve made it into the hands of a Thunder teammate.
Fortunately, Anthony badly missed a three-pointer that would have tied the game, and the Thunder rebounded.
Los Angeles shot 68 per cent in the first quarter to take a 41-19 lead, and the Lakers pushed the lead to 56-30 in the second quarter.
In the closing seconds of the third, Gilgeous-Alexander pump-faked Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook, then banked a three-pointer home at the buzzer to give the Thunder a 97-95 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the quarter as the Thunder rallied back.
– with AP
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