Giddy fell one assist short of a triple-double as the Chicago Bulls lost 123–116 to the weak Charlotte Hornets, scoring 25 points on 50 percent shooting and adding nine assists with 11 rebounds and zero turnovers.
But a late game with one fan close to the front row caught everyone’s attention at the Spectrum Center.
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On the Chicago Sports Network broadcast, Giddy can be seen expressing displeasure over something said by a fan; He needed to be restrained by the referee as his teammates immediately came to his aid.
According to AAP, Giddy said after the game, “He said something I didn’t like and I went to him – that was it.”
“Security took him out and that’s the end of it.”
The fan was immediately escorted off the field before broadcast callers Adam Amin and Stacey King could give their thoughts on the unfolding events.
“Oh wow, someone said something to Giddy… They must have said something, because I don’t think Josh would have reacted unless something bad was said to him,” said Amin, who calls play-by-play.
Expert analyst King said: “Some of these guys just want to go viral… He did it for the viral moment; he looked like an idiot.
“Taken out, you may never be able to get back on the field again… You’re able to say what you want, but when a guy’s that close to you, don’t get personal with that guy.”
But as it pertained to on-court activity, Giddy had a great return to form despite the Bulls suffering another loss, becoming the 11th team in league history to give up over 120 points in 11 straight games, and the first team to do so in 35 years.
Giddi’s first assist of the night came after a heads-up pass to baseline-cutting Matas Bouzelis, who slammed it home.
“They’re going to have to put the ball in Josh Giddy’s hands more often,” King said in the first quarter.
“They got away from it in New Orleans. He’s the guy who runs this engine; he gets everybody involved.
“He’s going to have to come back to do that. His assists were down in the last game (against the Pelicans).”
Giddy, who spun and drove impressively for a slick bucket to open his account, was back to his comfortable best after being limited against New Orleans a few days earlier.
The floor general dished out six assists against the Pelicans, but committed five turnovers and finished -13 overall.
But with the return of big man Nikola Vucevic to the starting lineup, the Bulls’ leading ball-handler was able to create more driving lanes with the Montenegrin’s floor spacing.
At halftime on Saturday, Giddy had 10 points on 50 percent shooting with five rebounds and five assists, on track for a triple-double return to form.
Giddy hit his first three balls of the night to start the Bulls off on the right foot in the second half, and he quickly got his second to bring Chicago within two points midway through the third.
“He’s shooting that shot with a lot of confidence compared to last season,” King said.
And when he wasn’t letting fly from the outside, Giddy was using his six-foot-eight-inch frame to his advantage with calculated moves inside the key.
In the fourth quarter, with the Bulls needing just one run, Giddy dropped three more and was later fouled on a shot from distance; Just brought his team back within six points with less than five minutes remaining.
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