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\u2019s 123-116 loss to Charlotte.<\/p>\n
With 1:16 left on the clock and the Bulls trailing by seven points on the road, a sunglass-wearing male supporter got under the skin of Giddey prior to a Chicago in-bound play.<\/p>\n
The fan called out, taunting the Boomers gun, as he danced and stuck the rude finger up.<\/p>\n
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just said something I didn\u2019t like and I went over to him \u2014 that was it,\u201d Giddey said after the match.<\/p>\n \u201cSecurity took him out and that was the end of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The point guard appeared on target to bag his fifth triple-double haul of the season but didn\u2019t get the opportunities he needed in the Friday night clash.<\/p>\n Giddey finished with 25 points, matching Coby White as the Bulls\u2019 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.<\/p>\n Superstar Bulls centre Nikola Vucevic, who has been battling knee soreness, was limited to 13 points although he did grab a game-high 14 boards.<\/p>\n Playing just his fifth game of season, Hornets guard Brandon Miller led the scoring with 27 points, including five three-pointers.<\/p>\n Miles Bridges and Collin Sexton both contributed 20-plus as Charlotte snapped a seven-game losing streak.<\/p>\n They held a five-point 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.<\/p>\n It was the final NBA Cup group game for both teams, although they had already been eliminated from the tournament prior to the match.<\/p>\n Dyson Daniels returned to his ball-stealing best as Atlanta swamped Cleveland 130-123 to end their quarter-final ambitions.<\/p>\n The Boomers guard\u2019s steal streak was stopped at 70 consecutive games in the Hawks\u2019 recent upset loss to Washington.<\/p>\n But \u201cThe Great Barrier Thief\u201d was back in touch with three steals as well as nine assists and eight rebounds as the Hawks overhauled a two-point halftime deficit.<\/p>\n Despite the loss Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 42 points \u2014 his sixth game out of the last eight scoring at least 30 points and the second-highest point total of the season.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 37 points as New York downed Milwaukee 118-109, while Indiana smashed the Wizards 119-86.<\/p>\n Desmond Bane scored 37 points and grabbed two crucial offensive rebounds as Orlando overcame Detroit 112-109 to win their NBA Cup group and Brooklyn fell to 0-9 at home with a 115-103 defeat by Philadelphia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Aussie Olympian\u2019s haunting revelation after health scare<\/p>\n 3 min read<\/p>\n