Josh Giddey has explained why he was playing down the stretch in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bulls were blown out 143-107 by the Miami Heat.
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The loss essentially eliminated the Bulls from advancing out of the group stage in the NBA Cup, while the Heat improved to 2-1.
It was a tough night for the Bulls, who lost Matas Buzelis, Isaac Okoro and Dalen Terry to injury while Patrick Williams fouled out and Kevin Huerter was ejected in contentious circumstances.
Giddey had a productive night in defeat with 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, although Bulls fans were left confused late when the Australian was substituted into the game deep in the fourth quarter despite the lopsided scoreline.
While on the surface the decision didn’t make much sense, Giddey confirmed to reporters that with the returning Tre Jones too close to his minutes limit and only seven players available, the Bulls needed to turn to the Australian.
Giddey was on a heater early, splashing a 3-pointer after Buzelis drove towards the paint to draw the double team from Davion Mitchell, who couldn’t recover to get back in time to contest the Australian’s shot when Buzelis kicked it out.
Giddey then went coast-to-coast for the finish and had all of Chicago’s six points in the first three minutes as the Bulls took a 6-5 lead.
The Bulls led by as many as seven points midway through the quarter but finished the period trailing 36-32, having committed seven personal fouls to gift Miami 13 free throw attempts.
Second-chance points (11) were also an issue for Chicago in the first quarter, which wasn’t anything new for a Bulls team that was dominated on the defensive glass by Portland in the thrilling 122-121 win earlier in the week.
The game quickly got out of hand in the second quarter as Miami jumped out to a 64-39 lead, with Kel’el Ware dominating Chicago’s interior defence on his way to seven points and a steal in just three minutes, while Norman Powell also made his presence felt on both ends.
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Powell had briefly been ruled questionable to return to Saturday’s game with a groin strain but returned in the early stages of the second quarter and had 10 points in the period along with a block, assist and rebound.
The Bulls desperately needed a spark and found it in the form of second-year forward Matas Buzelis, who had a pair of buckets to end the quarter while Giddey was at his playmaking best with a pair of assists to close out the half along with a layup of his own.
Chicago closed the gap to 70-52 entering halftime, but lost Buzelis, Okoro and Terry to injuries. Buzelis was able to return from his ankle issue but was later shut down with the game out of reach.
The hits kept coming for the Bulls too as Huerter, having already been called for a foul, was ejected after batting a ball in frustration that then hit an official.
It all went downhill from there for the Bulls against a physical Heat side that got to the free-throw line 44 times, with all nine players hitting double figures in the win.
**FLAGG JOINS LEBRON IN RECORD BOOKS AFTER CAREER NIGHT**
Elsewhere, Cooper Flagg had a career night for the Dallas Mavericks as they pipped the New Orleans Pelicans 118-115.
With the loss, the Pelicans have been eliminated from advancing to the knockout round of the NBA Cup while the Mavericks are now 1-2 in group play and still face an uphill climb to qualify.
In a battle of two struggling Western Conference teams, both Dallas and New Orleans fans were given a promising glimpse into the future as Flagg put on a show alongside standout Pelicans rookies Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears.
While the Pelicans will continue to be scrutinised for giving up their unprotected 2026 first-round pick to go up and draft Queen, it is hard to deny that the Maryland forward looks every bit the making of a potential future NBA star.
Queen already earned praise from Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic after putting up a career-high 30 points to go with nine rebound and four assists in New Orleans’ loss to Denver and the rookie followed it up on Saturday with 20 points and 11 assists.
Seven of those assists came in Queen’s first seven minutes on the court, while he left one of his best dishes until last as a behind-the-back pass led to a fastbreak slam for Trey Murphy III.
Fears, meanwhile, had 21 points and seven rebounds in the loss but it was Flagg who was the headline act, leading the way for the Mavericks with a career-high 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Flagg, who missed Dallas’ last game with an illness, set a previous career high with 26 points against the Bucks.
The rookie looked assertive and in control, shouldering added responsibility with D’Angelo Russell (illness) unavailable, while Flagg didn’t get much help from Brandon Williams (1-for-12).
The first overall pick scored 12 of his 29 points in the last quarter and became the second-youngest player in NBA history to record 25-plus points, five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in a regular season game.
LeBron James achieved the feat three times in the early stages of his career.
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**IN OTHER GAMES AROUND THE LEAGUE...**
Elsewhere, the Toronto Raptors became the first team to reach the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup, motoring into the last eight with a dominant 140-110 defeat of the Washington Wizards.
RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram scored 24 points apiece as the Raptors extended their perfect start to the NBA’s mid-season tournament.
But while Toronto moved on to the next round, the Indiana Pacers, Pelicans and Utah Jazz were all left heading for the exit.
Indiana -- beaten in last year’s NBA Finals -- were eliminated after losing 120-109 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The defeat marked another gloomy episode in the Pacers’ dismal start to the season, which has left them with two wins from 16 games.
Utah exited after a wild game against the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Jazz led by 18 points in a blistering first-quarter performance before a familiar late onslaught by the Thunder carried the champions to a 144-112 victory.
Oklahoma City poured in 77 points in the second half, turning the game on its head with a 43-point third quarter.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to steer the Thunder to victory on a night when eight players finished in double figures.
**OTHER RESULTS**
Celtics 105 **defeated by Nets 113**
**Suns 114 defeat** Timberwolves 113
Rockets 109 **defeated by** **Nuggets 112**
Warriors 123 **defeated by Trail Blazers 127**