Aussies Abroad: Giddey steers Bulls to Play-In

In-form Australian Josh Giddey has helped Chicago lock in an Eastern Conference play-in tournament spot with another impressive performance for the Bulls.

The Boomers star had 17 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds to help steer the hosts to a 137-118 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.

Giddey built on the dominant performances of teammates Coby White, who scored 28 points, Talen Horton Tucker (27) and Nikola Vucevic.

Vucevic shot 9 for 12, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range to finish with 22 points, while adding 10 rebounds and seven assists.

The Raptors were led by Ja'Kobe Walter, with 17 points while Immanuel Quickley added 17 points and nine assists.

The Bulls took the lead with 1:22 left in the first quarter and never looked back. The score was 70-57 by half-time. Horton-Tucker led the way with a team-high 18 second-half points.

In Atlanta, Shaedon Sharpe had 33 points and 10 rebounds and Deni Avdija finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists as Portland beat Atlanta 127-113.

Toumani Camara scored 18 points, while Donovan Clingan and Dalano Banton added 11 points apiece as the Trail Blazers snapped a four-game skid.

Boomers Matisse Thybulle and Duop Reath also played their part, posting eight and five points respectively, the former also registering five assists.

Trae Young had 29 points and 15 assists for Atlanta. Dyson Daniels, another Australian enjoying a big season, posted 22 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points as Milwaukee relied on a team-record shooting performance to snap a four-game skid by beating a slumping and short-handed Phoenix 133-123.

The Bucks shot 68.9 per cent (51 of 73) from the floor to set a franchise record for field-goal percentage. The previous record was 66.7 per cent on December 15, 1985, against Sacramento.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers improved his career record to 1,155-816 and tied Phil Jackson for seventh place in NBA history in regular-season wins.

In Memphis, Stephen Curry had 52 points, including 12 3-pointers, as Golden State held on to beat Memphis 134-125.

Curry was 16 of 31 from the field, making 12 of his 20 shots from distance, the dozen 3-pointers matching his season high.

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, and Draymond Green had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists as the Warriors moved into fifth place in the Western Conference.

Ja Morant led Memphis with 36 points and six assists, and Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 22 points.

The New York Kicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 105-91, while Paolo Banchero had 24 points and 10 rebounds as Orlando rallied to beat San Antonio 116-105.

In the late match on Tuesday, Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit two of three free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining as the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a career-best 61-point performance from Nikola Jokic to outlast the Denver Nuggets 140-139 in double overtime.

The final play concluded a wild sequence as Russell Westbrook stole the ball on one end in the closing seconds, missed a layup and then fouled Alexander-Walker in the corner. The Timberwolves guard made two and missed the third one on purpose.

Jokic's 61 points were the most by a player in the NBA this season. He also had 10 rebounds and 10 assists as he played 52 minutes, 38 seconds. He didn't leave the floor after halftime.

Jokic hit two free throws with 13.9 seconds remaining to tie it at 112 in regulation. He knocked in a floater with 7.3 seconds left to knot it up at 125 in the first overtime.