Josh Giddey recorded his second triple-double for the Bulls after playing a key role in their 116-111 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Chicago on Sunday.

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In Giddey’s first game back from an ankle injury, the Australian started and scored a team-high 23 points with 15 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal and one block.

Giddey became the first Bulls player to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season since Jimmy Butler in the 2016-17 season, and the youngest player to record multiple triple-doubles since Michael Jordan.

Giddey was particularly physical when it came to smashing the glass and fighting for rebounds, and while he left his mark on the game with his style of play, as he usually does, it was particularly pleasing to see him also in the defensive made an impression.

That was especially true later on, when Giddey took on Khris Middleton twice in a row, forcing the Bucks forward to take tough shots as he made one of two attempts.

“Josh has a lot of length, so our hope was to not hinder him and let him shoot over him,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of Giddey’s effort against Middleton.

“He made a couple in the lane and is hard to handle because he’s big and can get it done, but I thought Josh was really competitive and struggled defensively.”

The execution wasn’t always perfect, but the effort from Giddey was certainly there, hitting a three-pointer in the final minute of the game and then backing it up with another strong defensive ball to force a turnover at the other end to a basket by Patrick Williams.

That shot gave Chicago a 111-108 lead in the final 50 seconds before a Brook Lopez triple tied the game, but Coby White, who had 22 points in the win, put the Bulls back ahead 113-111 before Giddey struggled for another important defensive rebound to seal the win.

The Bucks fouled Giddey, who made both free throws and extended the lead to 115-111. Lopez then missed his next 3-point attempt and another free throw from Zach LaVine was enough to bring Chicago home.

It was particularly telling that Giddey was brought into action in the final minutes of the game, as he had not previously been trusted due to his defensive problems in critical situations.

However, on Sunday, Giddey gave Donovan no choice but to play him and the Australian returned the favor to the Bulls coach with some big plays that secured the win.

“I’ve seen growth and competitiveness in that area,” Donovan said of Giddey’s development on defense.

“He’s got size, he’s got length and he’s got good feet. I think the most important thing is how he can direct the screening actions and I think he has fought through a lot. I thought he struggled on post-ups.

“He’s capable, but he has to do it consistently… when you point things out to him, he recognizes areas (he needs to improve). He enjoys watching film and wants to find ways to get better. He has been willing to grow in this area and I have seen significant progress.”

Giddey told Chicago Sports Network’s KC Johnson in his postgame interview that it was “good to be there” late in the fourth quarter, adding that his previously injured ankle felt “great.”

“You (the audience) have been incredible in this environment and we feed off that energy. Not just myself, but the rest of the guys who finished that game,” Giddey added.

“I thought we did really well on the track. We were composed, we were balanced and this is a really good team. This is an experienced team that has won a championship. They know how to finish games…this was a much-needed win.”

It was a great result for the Bulls after they suffered a 141-133 loss to the Hawks that saw them score 50 points in the fourth quarter. This result followed two consecutive losses by 21 and 25 points to the Bucks and Celtics, respectively.

ELSEWHERE…

The NBA has suspended Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall for four games and Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic for three games for their roles in an on-court brawl.

Dallas forward PJ Washington has a single save and all suspensions imposed Sunday are without pay.

During the Mavericks’ 98-89 win at the Footprint Center, Nurkic and Marshall clashed and were thrown off the court.

Things came to a head early in the third quarter when Nurkic was whistled for an offensive foul and the Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford went down.

After a few moments, Nurkic and Marshall approached each other, with the former punching Marshall in the head before Marshall punched his opponent into the air.

PJ Washington also pushed Nurkic into the middle of the action, dropping him back near the middle of the court.

Officers then intervened to prevent the teams from causing further damage.

Ultimately, all three players were eliminated from the competition and Suns coach Mike Budenholzer was unimpressed.

“I think this level of confrontation is not good for our team,” he said after the game.

“It’s not good for anyone individually, it’s not good for our league.”

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd saw it differently and said he was pleased with how his players protected themselves.

“They protected each other. That was it,” Kidd said, according to the Dallas Morning News.

“Emotions can run high. For our guys to protect each other, we talk about it and it was shown tonight.”

Suns rookie Ryan Dunn told reporters after the game that Nurkic and Marshall spoke after the initial offensive foul before they became physical.

“I think it was just the heat of the moment, they were chipping back and forth,” Dunn said. “In the heat of the moment, we are here for Nurk.”

Dunn clarified why he was in de-escalation mode and not trying to escalate the argument further.

“I’m a newbie, I don’t have enough money to get a $5,000 fine,” he said with a laugh. “I can’t throw a punch, but I’m just trying to de-escalate it.”

Portions of this article were originally published on the New York Post and are republished with permission.

EMBIID COPS HUGE fine notices

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was fined A$120,000 by the NBA on Friday for making “obscene gestures on the court” during the Sixers’ 118-114 win over the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day.

The league said in a statement that the incidents occurred in the first half of the 76ers’ win in Boston, in which Embiid scored 27 points with nine rebounds.

Embiid celebrated a first-half layup with the “DX Crotch Chop” thrust gesture, which he adopted from professional wrestling and for which he has been fined in the past.

After a three-pointer just before halftime, he had another gesture for the Boston fans.

The 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player has played just nine games this season due to injuries – most recently a broken sinus that required him to play with a protective mask – and a three-game suspension for a physical altercation with a journalist.

Embiid suffered another injury scare before Wednesday’s game when he fell over the courtside safety rope and grabbed his right ankle during warmups.

He appeared unaffected during the game but was listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz because of the sinus fracture and a left ankle sprain.