Going into Thursday\u2019s contest, the Bulls\u2019 opponents had averaged 127.9 points over the past 10 games \u2014 and while Brooklyn didn\u2019t go quite that big, it comfortably outscored its league-worst season average of just 108.8 points per game. <\/p>\n
Giddey was easily the Bulls\u2019 best player in an equal-game-most 36 minutes of action, scoring 28 points on a highly efficient 10-14 shooting, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. <\/p>\n
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It was an offensive struggle for Chicago to start the second quarter, with a driving Giddey layup at the 8:16 mark the first points of the period. <\/p>\n
The six-foot-eight playmaking guard continued to be aggressive with his downhill drives, aggressively using his body to either shoot at the rim or dish out to a shooting teammate. <\/p>\n
\u201cJosh is going to float around with a triple double almost every night, okay? He\u2019s your Haliburton guy,\u201d King said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you need from the rest of these guys is you need to surround him with a (Pascal) Siakam (type).\u201d<\/p>\n
With a little over four minutes remaining in the first half, Giddey was slapped with a technical foul after scathing a referee for what he thought was an earlier foul on a drive to the basket. <\/p>\n
But the Australian floor general made amends after Michael Porter Jnr\u2019s free throw, storming to the rim for a ferocious dunk on the very next possession. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the angriest I\u2019ve seen Josh Giddey maybe all season,\u201d Amin said. <\/p>\n
\u201cUpset and frustrated by the technical foul, and he took it all the way to the rim for a dunk \u2026 let\u2019s see if that gives a little life to what has been a flat performance in the first half for the Bulls.\u201d<\/p>\n
King added: \u201cThey don\u2019t want to see an angry Giddey.\u201d It was just his third dunk of the season. <\/p>\n
\u201cJosh is slowly becoming a leader on this team \u2014 a little more vocal, you can see sometimes when the Bulls aren\u2019t playing well, he\u2019s slapping his hands saying \u2018let\u2019s go, let\u2019s go\u2019,\u201d King later continued of the burgeoning Aussie. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what you want out of your point guard. You want your point guard to be a leader \u2026 he\u2019s been a leader his whole life \u2014 every team he\u2019s played on, he\u2019s been the point guard, so it shouldn\u2019t be any different here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giddey finished his half with an and-one drive to the basket to take his tally to a team-best 15 points on 4-7 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists. <\/p>\n
But 44 points was Chicago\u2019s lowest first-half tally of the season as it trailed the Nets by 10. <\/p>\n
The 23-year-old, who started his third quarter the same way he capped the first half by scoring at the rim, was also efficiently dishing to his teammates as the Bulls made their run. <\/p>\n
\u201cGiddey has been the most aggressive player for the Bulls out here,\u201d Amin said. <\/p>\n
Halfway through the third, Giddey ticked over 21 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. <\/p>\n
Earlier, coach Billy Donovan promisingly gave Australian centre-forward Lachie Olbrich first-quarter minutes in the injury absence of Jalen Smith, and King was quick to praise the Illawarra Hawks product. <\/p>\n
\u201cI know the stats don\u2019t always tell you how good a player has played, but he comes out there with energy, he\u2019s got a motor, he doesn\u2019t stop moving. I mean, the kid just needs time,\u201d King said. <\/p>\n
Olbrich launched a corner three with confidence but went scoreless in his first four minutes. <\/p>\n
In Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo collapsed to to the ground suddenly while running back on defence after assisting a bucket to AJ Green in the opening minutes of Milwaukee\u2019s home game against Detroit on Thursday (all times AEDT).<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old was able to walk off the court unassisted. <\/p>\n
\u201cUh oh, Giannis down. Doesn\u2019t look good. Does not league good. He went down immediately, summoned for the trainer,\u201d commentator Marques Johnson said. <\/p>\n
Milwaukee say Antetokounmpo has a right calf strain that ruled him out of the rest of the game. <\/p>\n
It comes after Doc Rivers shot down any suggestion that Antetokounmpo has asked for a trade out of Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
The head coach was forced to address rumors that Antetokounmpo requested a trade ahead of the Bucks\u2019 game against the Pistons.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been no conversations,\u201d Rivers told reporters. <\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make it clear for, I would say one more time, but for the 50th time it clearly is not getting to one network, for sure. Giannis has never asked to be traded. Ever. I can\u2019t make that more clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cone network\u201d that Rivers was referring to would be ESPN, which reported that Antetokounmpo and his agent were talking with the Bucks about his future with and \u201cdiscussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report also stated that a resolution is expected in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo\u2019s future with the Bucks has been up in the air, and during the offseason, it was reported that he had interest in being traded to the Knicks and that New York was given an exclusive negotiating window during a multi-week period in August.<\/p>\n
Other teams are believed to be interested in the NBA champion if the possibility of a trade opens up.<\/p>\n
A few weeks ago, when Milwaukee was at MSG, a Post reporter brought up the initial ESPN regarding the summertime trade possibility to the Big Apple, Antetokounmpo said he didn\u2019t \u201cremember that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, I\u2019m here representing my team, and that\u2019s it. We beat the Knicks. So it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat matters right now is we have a game in two days \u2026 try to stay locked in and get two in a row.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I didn\u2019t read that article. I try to stay away from all the rumors and speculation and trades. It doesn\u2019t concern me one bit. I try to involve myself and I try to help my team win games.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bucks started the season off hot, going 4-1 out of the gate, but they\u2019re 9-13 and have lost eight of their last nine games entering Thursday. <\/p>\n