Australian teen star Josh Giddey had the basketball world marvelling at his passing ability today as Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets 101-89.
Giddey helped the Thunder with 14 points on 50 per cent shooting while also adding 11 rebounds to his stat sheet.
Oklahoma City also had big contributions from Luguentz Dort (34 points) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15 points, nine assists, seven rebounds).
But as fans have started to get used to this season, Giddey’s court vision and passing ability continued to stand out.
During the third quarter, one moment in particular left basketball fans purring as Giddey found Jeremiah Robinson-Earl under the basket with a pass that fooled the Rockets’ defence.
The 19-year-old credited Oklahoma City’s floor spacing behind his recent playmaking success, which he suggested wasn’t what it was during his tenure in the NBL with Adelaide.
After the game he said: “The spacing on the floor has allowed me to make passes that last year I wasn’t allowed to make.”
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The Thunder opened the game up late in the second quarter to take a 53-41 lead at the break.
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Giddey scored six straight points on three baskets to put the Thunder up 65-52 early in the third quarter. Oklahoma City led 80-64 heading into the fourth.
The Rockets scored the first seven points of the final quarter to cut Oklahoma City’s lead to single digits.
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Houston trimmed the Thunder lead to seven before Dort hit a three as the shot clock expired to push the lead back to 10 with just under seven minutes to play. Dort’s one-handed putback dunk with about two minutes to play put the Thunder up 97-87.
– with AP