Not so Giddey: NBA fan ejected after stoush with Aussie
Melissa Woods |
A frustrated Josh Giddey has fallen achingly short of another triple-double, with the Australian star getting into an altercation with a courtside fan during Chicago’s 123-116 loss to Charlotte.
With 1:16 left on the clock and the Bulls trailing 119-112 in Charlotte, a sunglass-wearing male supporter got under the skin of Giddey prior to a Chicago in-bound play.
The fan called out, taunting the Boomers gun, as he danced and “flipped the bird”.
Giddey marched down the court to confront his agitator, with the referee getting between the two men before security finally arrived and removed the offender to the jeers of the Spectrum Centre crowd.
“He just said something I didn’t like and I went over to him – that was it,” Giddey said after the match.
“Security took him out and that was the end of it.”
The point guard appeared on target to bag his fifth triple-double haul of the season but didn’t get the opportunities he needed in the Friday night (local time) clash.
Giddey finished with 25 points, matching Coby White as the Bulls’ top scorers, and 11 rebounds, but just missed the mark with nine assists as his side sank to their third loss in the past four games.
Superstar Bulls centre Nikola Vucevic, who has been battling knee soreness, was limited to 13 points although he did grab a game-high 14 rebounds.
Playing just his fifth game of season, Hornets guard Brandon Miller led the scoring with 27 points, including five three-pointers.
Miles Bridges and Collin Sexton both contributed 20-plus as the Hornets snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Charlotte held a five-goal lead at halftime and while the Bulls regrouped to lead 94-93 heading into the final term, the home side kicked away with Bridges scoring nine points as part of a 12-4 Hornets run.
It was the final NBA Cup group game for both teams, although they had already been eliminated from the tournament prior to the match.
AAP
