{"id":146527,"date":"2026-01-29T07:03:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T07:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=146527"},"modified":"2026-01-29T07:03:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T07:03:26","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8breaking-josh-giddey-hits-major-nba-milestone-in-his-return-to-bulls-starting-five-becoming-the-15th-player-in-history-to-surpass-2000-career-assists-by-age-23-but-despite-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=146527","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8BREAKING: Josh Giddey hits major NBA milestone in his return to Bulls’ starting five\u2014Becoming the 15th player in history to surpass 2000 career assists by age 23! But despite the achievement, Chicago falls short against the Pacers in a dramatic 113-110 loss!! ll\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"

Josh Giddey Joins Elite Company as He Surpasses 2,000 Career Assists in Bulls Loss to Pacers<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Bulls<\/p>\n

Josh Giddey<\/strong> made a significant achievement in his return to the Chicago Bulls<\/strong>\u2019 starting lineup on Wednesday night, following a month-long absence due to a hamstring injury. The 23-year-old Australian<\/strong> guard, in his 29 minutes of play against the Indiana Pacers<\/strong>, finished with seven assists<\/strong> and 10 points<\/strong>. This performance made him just the 15th player in NBA history<\/strong> to surpass 2,000 career assists<\/strong> at the age of 23 or younger<\/strong>, further cementing his status as one of the league\u2019s most promising young talents.<\/p>\n

However, Giddey\u2019s milestone was somewhat overshadowed by the Bulls\u2019 113-110 loss<\/strong> to the lowly-ranked Pacers<\/strong> (12-36), who made a thrilling comeback after trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter. Despite Giddey\u2019s solid performance, the Bulls\u2019 effort was undone by a late rally from the Pacers, capped by timely free throws from Johnny Furphy<\/strong>, who scored just two points in 22 minutes but made his presence felt in clutch moments.<\/p>\n

Pascal Siakam<\/strong> was a standout for the Pacers, scoring 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter<\/strong>, and Andrew Nembhard<\/strong> contributed 18 points<\/strong>, nine assists<\/strong>, and six rebounds<\/strong> in the win. Nikola Vucevic<\/strong> led the Bulls (23-24) with 25 points<\/strong> and nine rebounds<\/strong>, but his efforts were not enough to seal the victory.<\/p>\n

Dyson Daniels Shines in Hawks\u2019 Upset Win Over Celtics<\/h3>\n

\"Aussies<\/p>\n

In another action-packed night for Australian players, Dyson Daniels<\/strong> delivered a stellar all-around performance for the Atlanta Hawks<\/strong>, who upset the Boston Celtics<\/strong> 117-106. Daniels, who played a game-high 35 minutes<\/strong>, had a season-high five steals<\/strong> to go with 15 points<\/strong>, nine assists<\/strong>, six rebounds<\/strong>, and a block. Despite struggling with his shooting in recent weeks, Daniels shot 7-of-11 from the field<\/strong>, including hitting one 3-pointer<\/strong>. His defensive prowess also contributed to a difficult night for Jaylen Brown<\/strong>, who finished with 21 points<\/strong> but shot 9-of-20<\/strong> from the field and missed all five of his 3-point attempts.<\/p>\n

Daniels\u2019 efforts helped the Hawks (24-25) avenge a 132-106 loss<\/strong> to the Celtics on January 17 and improve their standing in the Eastern Conference<\/strong>, where they sit one spot ahead of the Bulls. Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/strong> led the Hawks\u2019 scoring with 21 points<\/strong>, while Jalen Johnson<\/strong> posted a double-double with 19 points<\/strong> and 14 rebounds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Jock Landale\u2019s Grizzlies Fall Short Again<\/h3>\n

Jock Landale<\/strong> and the Memphis Grizzlies<\/strong> (18-27) are continuing to struggle, as they dropped their fourth straight game, this time to the Charlotte Hornets<\/strong> (20-28), losing 112-97. Landale, starting for the Grizzlies, had 10 points<\/strong> on 4-of-9 shooting<\/strong>, but the performance wasn\u2019t enough to prevent the loss. Jaren Jackson<\/strong> led Memphis with 26 points<\/strong>, but the Hornets\u2019 balanced attack proved too much.<\/p>\n

For Charlotte, Brandon Miller<\/strong> scored 26 points<\/strong>, and Moussa Diabate<\/strong> dominated the boards with 18 points<\/strong> and an impressive 20 rebounds<\/strong>. LaMelo Ball<\/strong> also contributed 16 points<\/strong>, helping the Hornets secure a crucial victory as they look to stay in the playoff hunt.<\/p>\n

LeBron James Struggles in Return to Cleveland<\/h3>\n

\"Starting<\/p>\n

In a rare off-night for LeBron James<\/strong>, the 41-year-old<\/strong> superstar of the LA Lakers<\/strong> suffered a disappointing performance in his return to Cleveland. James, playing in Cleveland for the first time since leading the Cavaliers<\/strong> to their 2016 NBA Championship<\/strong>, was held to just 11 points<\/strong> in a 129-99 loss<\/strong> to the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/strong>. This marked the first time in 13 trips<\/strong> to Cleveland that James has failed to score at least 20 points<\/strong> in a game, underscoring just how challenging this matchup was for the future Hall of Famer.<\/p>\n

It was also James\u2019s worst loss<\/strong> in Cleveland as a visiting player, adding to the frustration of a season that has seen the Lakers struggle to find consistency. The Cavaliers, led by Darius Garland<\/strong> and Evan Mobley<\/strong>, capitalized on the Lakers’ off night, delivering a dominant win in front of their home crowd.<\/p>\n

\n

This expanded version gives a comprehensive look at the standout performances from Australian players Josh Giddey<\/strong>, Dyson Daniels<\/strong>, and Jock Landale<\/strong>, while also covering the key moments from LeBron James\u2019<\/strong> return to Cleveland. It highlights the important milestones, the game results, and the implications for each player’s team in the current NBA season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Josh Giddey Joins Elite Company as He Surpasses 2,000 Career Assists in Bulls Loss to Pacers Josh Giddey made a significant achievement in his return to the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":146534,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n\ud83d\udea8BREAKING: Josh Giddey hits major NBA milestone in his return to Bulls' starting five\u2014Becoming the 15th player in history to surpass 2000 career assists by age 23! But despite the achievement, Chicago falls short against the Pacers in a dramatic 113-110 loss!! ll\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=146527\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\ud83d\udea8BREAKING: Josh Giddey hits major NBA milestone in his return to Bulls' starting five\u2014Becoming the 15th player in history to surpass 2000 career assists by age 23! 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