Australia’s Josh Giddey showed toughness to go with his poise in an eye-catching performance that kept his Oklahoma City Thunder close in a 115-103 loss to Philadelphia.
The 19-year-old No.6 draft pick from Melbourne finished with an NBA career-high 19 points to go with eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals against a 76ers outfit still without Ben Simmons.
The gangly playmaker had All-Star Joel Embiid apologising when the centre caught his body in a hard foul that sent Giddey sliding into the padding below the hoop as he attempted a dunk.
Giddey, who played for the Adelaide 36ers in the last NBL season, made both free throws then stole the ball from Embiid and drained a three-pointer from the next play.
That sequence late in the fourth quarter sent tongues wagging and ensured his young side, now 0-3, stayed close after Seth Curry (28 points) set up the victory with a 17-point first quarter.
Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points and paired well with Giddey to please Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, who said Giddey appeared to be fine despite wincing after the heavy contact from Embiid.
“He had his foot on the gas tonight,” the coach said of Giddey after his third NBA game.
“I thought there was a good collaborative rhythm tonight … we’re optimistic about that partnership … it’s going to improve over time.”
Elsewhere, Patty Mills finally missed a shot, going two-of-10 from the field in Brooklyn’s 111-95 loss to Charlotte.
Mills had set a historic pace at his new team, who have dropped to 1-2 this season, draining a perfect 10 from 10 three-point attempts in the opening two games.
Former NBL import LaMelo Ball continued his impressive form for the Hornets (3-0) with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists while Miles Bridges produced a 360-degree slam dunk on his way to 32 points and nine rebounds.
Boston scored their first win of the season, Jayson Tatum’s 31 points and nine rebounds enough in a 107-97 defeat of Houston (1-2).
Orlando Magic also moved to 1-2 thanks to Cole Anthony (29 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists), ending the New York Knicks’ two-game winning streak with a 110-104 win.
AAP
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