Australian basketball prodigy Josh Giddey came painstakingly close to etching his name in NBA history.
During the Oklahoma City Thunder’s match against the Los Angeles Clippers, Giddey looked poised to become the youngest player in NBA history to tally a triple-double, but ultimately fell two points short of the feat.
Giddey failed to convert the buckets he needed in the final 12 minutes, after entering the fourth quarter with with eight points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
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Spending a majority of the quarter on the bench, disaster struck when match officials denied Giddey two free throws for a blatant foul.
The Clippers’ Reggie Jackson appeared to hold onto Giddley as he attempted to make a lay-up, but in strange scenes the referee equalised the offense with a jump-ball.
Giddey finished the game with eight points, 10 assists and an incredible career-high 18 rebounds.
Just 26 games into his NBA career, Giddey will have other opportunities to make the record his own. At 19 years and 70 days, he will have another 70 days to chase down LaMelo Ball, who currently holds the record at 19 years and 140 days.
Teammate Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 27-foot, step-back three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Thunder a 104-103 victory over the Clippers.
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