Josh Giddey amassed 20 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists while leading the host Chicago Bulls to a 128-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
The triple-double was Giddey’s first of the season. Giddey has 12 career triple-doubles.
Nikola Vucevic added a team-high 21 points in addition to 10 rebounds, helping the Bulls end a two-game losing streak. Rookie Matas Buzelis added a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench, making 4 of 6 3-point attempts.
Chicago’s Zach LaVine contributed 18 points, Ayo Dosunmu put up 16 points and six assists, and Talen Horton-Tucker scored 11 points.
The result was a welcome turn for the home crowd, as it marked the Bulls’ third win at home in 10 attempts this season.
The Nets disappointed again on offense, as their starting lineup failed to yield a 20-point scorer for the second time in three games. Dennis Schroder led the Nets’ starters with 16 points, while Dariq Whitehead paced the team with 18 points off the bench.
Brooklyn’s Tyrese Martin chipped in 15 points, Shake Milton added 14 points, Trendon Watford scored 12 points and Nic Claxton logged 11 points and eight rebounds.
Overall, the Bulls outscored the Nets 36-22 in the third. The Nets took their third consecutive loss after the Magic swept them in Orlando on both Friday and Sunday.
Chicago took a six-point advantage into halftime, outscoring the Nets 27-21 in the second quarter after an even first quarter.
LaVine buried a 3-pointer with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter that stretched the Bulls’ lead to 21 and helped the hosts enter the fourth quarter with a 92-72 lead.
The Bulls shot 48-for-92 (52.2 percent) from the field for the game and made 16 of 47 attempts (34 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. They outrebounded the Nets 54-41 and outscored them 32-15 in fastbreak points. In addition, the Bulls outscored the Nets 62-40 in the paint.
The Nets made 38 shots on 95 attempts (40 percent), sinking 14 of 42 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range. They did manage to force 17 Bulls turnovers.
