'The way we play': The Chicago Bulls' momentum won't stop as long as Josh Giddey leads the charge
Bulls' Josh Giddey talks his game-winner to stun the Lakers
Josh Giddey had never hit a game winner. Until Thursday. His half-court shot stunned the Los Angeles Lakers. Giddey talked about that shot after the game.
CHICAGO - Coby White wouldn't say he knew Josh Giddey called game with a 50-footer. He just knew it looked good.
"It was a good trajectory," White said with a grin.
But that 50-footer was the difference. Josh Giddey capped a 25-point, 14-rebound and 11-assist triple-double in the Chicago Bulls' impossible, improbable and downright silly 119-117 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The wildest finish in the NBA this season turned the United Center into the Madhouse on Madison, with fans sprinting up and down the sidelines, teammates mobbing Giddey and the Lakers cursing amidst the chaos on their way back to their locker room.
Giddey was the catalyst in the win. His steal and pass to White set up a go-ahead 3-pointer seconds before the first game-winner of his basketball career.
That's nothing new. Giddey has been the catalyst in the Bulls' four-game winning streak, where the Bulls have won nine of their past 11 games.
The latest was a thriller over the LeBron and Luka-led Lakers, who have been surging since the trade deadline. Twice in the span of a week, Giddey got the best of the Lakers. On Thursday, Giddey proved he's the spark plug to supercharge the Bulls.
"We've shown over the last probably month, six weeks that we can compete with anybody," Giddey said. "It's just the way we play the game."
Back in the preseason, plenty wondered what the Bulls were up to when they moved on from DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso in favor of a faster style of play.
Trading Zach LaVine gave way to Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones and Zach Collins. It also gave way to Giddey leading the charge. That faster style of play has reached a fever pitch with Giddey at the helm.
The biggest reason why is because of how the Bulls' keep relentlessly going at teams. They've keep the pace, no matter what.
"I think it wears teams down," Giddey said. "We get up and down. We run. We put heat on them to get back. A lot of veteran teams don’t particularly want to get back and play in transition."
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Josh Giddey stuns Lakers with half-court prayer as Chicago Bulls beat Los Angeles 119-117
Oh, my Josh. The Bulls stunned the Los Angeles Lakers on a half-court heave by Josh Giddey.
That pace also comes with a mentality switch. White said the team is focused on their next task at hand.
The Bulls can't get caught looking ahead at a schedule when they're already playing from behind.
"We take it one game at a time. We don't look ahead. I don't even know who we play on Saturday," White said. "If we don't look ahead, we just focus on the now. How can we get better, continue to grow the team, continue to grow together."
The team has grown. White is a great example.
White extended his career-long streak of 20-point games to 14 consecutive games on Thursday.
He also just sank his 200th 3-pointer of the season.
"It's the right time to get hot and, and I think it's not just me, but the guys across the board are really starting to feel good," Giddey said. "We're connecting as a team. We're starting to get wins by committee and it's not really a one-man show on this roster."
Still, Giddey has become the focal point.
He has three triple-doubles in the last six games. Two of those have come against the Lakers.
According to Bulls PR, there are only two Bulls who have posted at least 220 points, 96 rebounds and 100 assists over a 10-game span. Those two are Josh Giddey and Michael Jordan.
The reason Giddey is at that point is because the Bulls have an identity and have stuck to it. Coach Billy Donovan deserves plenty of credit for that.
Giddey deserves the flowers for being at the forefront of that.
"We understand our game plan and our identity," Giddey said. "We think we stick to what a tough team have been."