Josh Giddey has showcased his toughness and perseverance in another mature performance to help an inexperienced Oklahoma City grab a third-straight NBA win.
The Thunder (4-6) survived a late scare to hold off New Orleans in the 108-100 victory, with the Australian No.6 draft pick contributing a handy seven points as Luguentz Dort (27) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24) did the bulk of the scoring.
Giddey’s elite passing ability again caught the eye as he led his team with nine assists and 12 rebounds, and soaked up heavy contact on several plays.
The 19-year-old added to his expanding highlights reel by slipping a no-look dish to Dort and nailing a triple from the corner to finish a slick team passing move.
Giddey’s rebound from a missed free-throw in the final seconds and another pass to Dort led to the basket that slammed the door shut on the Pelicans.
It was a second road win of the season for the Thunder after a triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers last week.
Boomers star Patty Mills had a quiet night but it mattered little for his Brooklyn Nets as they rebounded with a 123-90 road victory over Orlando, making it six wins in seven games.
James Harden filled the stats sheet with his 59th career triple-double to lead the Nets’ charge alongside top-scorer Kevin Durant (30 points).
Harden finished with 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds as he and Durant sat out the final quarter.
LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 21 points off the bench but Mills managed just six points on one-of-seven shooting, plus three assists.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Milwaukee Bucks blew a 24-point lead before scoring a 112-100 win over the New York Knicks behind a season-high 23 points from Pat Connaughton.
Less than a week after the Knicks came from 21 down to win 113-98 at Milwaukee, the Bucks opened a 70-46 cushion midway through the third quarter.
But the Knicks’ reserves wiped that away and the game was tied with five minutes to play, with Connaughton landing three late triples to help settle the contest.
Jerami Grant scored a season-high 35 points to help Detroit beat Houston in a match-up between two of the worst teams in the NBA.
The meeting was the first between the top two picks in the July draft.
Cade Cunningham, the Pitsons’ choice as the No.1 pick, had 20 points on eight-of-18 shooting, while the Rockers’ Jalen Green, the No.2 pick, had 23 points on eight-of-20 shooting.
Zach LaVine scored 23 points and Lonzo Ball made seven of Chicago’s 15 three-pointers as the Bulls beat Dallas 117-107.
with AP
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