Josh Giddey recorded a career-high 19 assists in a loss to Cleveland, setting a new benchmark that extends well beyond his own performance. The 23-year-old Melbourne guard's achievement marks the highest assist total ever recorded by an Australian player in an NBA game, surpassing Ben Simmons's previous record of 17.
Playing for the Chicago Bulls against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Giddey delivered nine points, six rebounds, 19 assists, one steal and two blocked shots in the 115-110 defeat. The loss came despite one of the most dramatic fourth-quarter efforts of the season. The Bulls trailed by 29 points through three quarters before mounting a furious comeback that nearly pulled off the improbable. James Harden led all scorers with 36 points for the Cavaliers, while Evan Mobley added 26 points and 14 rebounds.
The assist record underscores what has become a consistent pattern for Giddey this season. He is averaging 17.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game across 47 games in what he described as a productive yet injury-disrupted campaign. He has compiled six triple-doubles and 24 double-doubles so far this season, demonstrating his importance to Chicago's offensive flow.
Yet individual milestones cannot mask a larger problem. The Bulls sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 28-41 record, having lost six of their past 10 games. They trail Charlotte, which occupies the final playoff-in spot, by eight wins with just 12 games remaining in the regular season. Giddey's playmaking excellence has not translated into the team success needed to mount a serious push toward postseason qualification.
The context makes Thursday's loss particularly frustrating. A 29-point comeback is not a realistic outcome in professional basketball; it represents the sort of fourth-quarter heroics that rarely materialise. The Bulls came close enough that the effort itself deserves recognition, yet close is not the same as accomplished. For a team desperately chasing playoff positioning, near-misses only deepen the difficulty of the path ahead.
Across the league Thursday
Luka Doncic scored 60 points, LeBron James had a triple-double on a night where he tied the NBA record for games played, and the Los Angeles Lakers pushed their season-best winning streak to eight games with a 134-126 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday night. It tied the second-most points Doncic ever scored in a game, behind a 73-point night against Atlanta in 2024 and matching a 60-point night against New York in 2022.
Doncic, the NBA's scoring leader, has now scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive games, reached 50 for the second time in his last five games and did so on the second night of a back to back. Doncic was the story, getting 39 of his 60 after halftime.
In San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama surveyed the defence, stepped right and took one dribble before nailing the shot that would clinch the Spurs their first postseason berth since 2019. Wembanyama buried a go-ahead 17-foot fadeaway over Oso Ighodaro with 1.1 seconds left to lift San Antonio to a 101-100 triumph over the Phoenix Suns. Wembanyama finished with 34 points and 12 rebounds in the decisive victory.