Josh Giddey has racked up his eighth triple-double of the season to lead the slumping Chicago Bulls to a drought-breaking 120-97 NBA win over the Milwaukee Bucks.<\/p>\n
The Australian star had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists and the host Bulls used a 27-0 run to claim victory on Sunday (Monday AEDT), halting their league-worst 11-game losing streak.<\/p>\n
It was 23-year-old Giddey’s 15th triple-double as a member of the Bulls, tying Scottie Pippen – who was watching from a suite – for second on the franchise regular-season list in just his second season there. Michael Jordan had 28.<\/p>\n
“It sounds good,” Giddey said when asked about his name being alongside the likes of Pippen.<\/p>\n
“I mean, you know me, I’m all about winning, and that’s No.1 priority.<\/p>\n
“But any time your name is mentioned with people like that, it’s an honour, and you don’t take it for granted, so as I said, my teammates make my job easy. They put me in positions to be successful.”<\/p>\n
Collin Sexton added 22 points, and Matas Buzelis had 20, helping Chicago come out on top after matching the third-worst skid in franchise history. The Bulls were 0-11 in February and had not won since January 31 at Miami.<\/p>\n
Their losing streak coincided with a slew of mid-season trades and they sit a lowly 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 25-36 record.<\/p>\n
“This has kind of been lingering for a while and I think we’ve put good steps forward the last 11 games, even though we haven’t won,” added Giddey. “I thought we have been building in the right direction.” <\/p>\n
Both teams struggled with ball control. Milwaukee committed 19 turnovers while Chicago had 18.<\/p>\n
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his 15th consecutive game because of a strained right calf. The two-time MVP has not played since January 23.<\/p>\n
The Bucks missed 17 successive shots down the stretch in their second-straight blowout loss as they slipped to a 26-33 record and sit just one spot above the Bulls in the East. .<\/p>\n
In Atlanta, Australians Dyson Daniels and Jock Landale played significant roles for the Hawks (31-31) as they crushed the Portland Trailblazers 135-101 and reached .500 for the first time since December 23.<\/p>\n
Daniels efficiently put up 12 points to go with seven assists, six rebounds and two steals while Landale added 14 points and five rebounds off the bench.<\/p>\n
Onyeka Okongwu led the Hawks with 25 points, bench star Jonathan Kuminga added 20 and CJ McCollum 19.<\/p>\n
New arrival Kuminga is averaging 21.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in three games with Atlanta after barely playing for Golden State.<\/p>\n
The Hawks have won four successive games by an average of 26.5 points and moved into ninth place in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n
And in New York, Mikal Bridges had 25 points, Jalen Brunson scored 24 and the Knicks snapped the San Antonio Spurs’ 11-game winning streak with a 114-89 victory.<\/p>\n
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