CHICAGO (USA) - Just when we thought we'd seen it all in basketball, the sport delivered a remarkable finish to a NBA game that gives new meaning to "It ain't over till it's over."
In a clash between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, a contest that had numerous FIBA Ball stars, Australia's Josh Giddey pulled off a Windy City miracle, sealing a 119-117 win with a running, buzzer-beating 3-pointer from half-court.
The Bulls celebrated as they improved to 33-40, leaving them alone in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, one game clear of the 10th-place Miami Heat.
The Lakers had been within touching distance of victory.
Just 12.6 seconds remained and they led 115-110, but everything quickly unraveled.
Standing in front of the LA bench, Giddey inbounded the ball to Nikola Vucevic on the wing, with the Montenegro international catching the pass before swinging one to an open Patrick Williams in the corner. Williams drilled a 3-pointer.
Giddey then showed off his defensive prowess. With USA's Paris Olympic MVP LeBron James attempting to inbound the ball, Giddey reached out with his left hand and intercepted his pass.
"I'VE NEVER MADE A GAME-WINNER ... A WALK-OFF LIKE THAT FROM HALFCOURT, I'VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE. I DON’T KNOW IF I'LL EVER DO IT AGAIN BUT I'LL TAKE THIS ONE TONIGHT.
He then whipped a pass to an a open Coby White on the wing and the guard drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds to play.
After a timeout, the Lakers advanced the ball and Luka Doncic of Slovenia inbounded it to Austin Reaves, who blew past the Chicago defense and made a layup with just 3.3 seconds left.
Reaves was a standout player for USA at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in Manila and it seemed he had done enough for LA to win.
Only he hadn't.
Giddey took center stage again.
He inbounded the ball, got it right back and with a second remaining, as he got to half court, let his game-winning shot fly.
The ball sailed through the air and into the hoop for a remarkable Bulls win, their fourth in a row and sixth in the last seven games.
"Devastation," Lakers coach JJ Redick said, shaking his head in disbelief. "It's a hell of a way to lose a basketball game."
Giddey was all smiles.
“Let it fly with confidence,” he said immediately after.
"I've never made a game-winner before. I've made a couple of layups to put us up with a couple of seconds left, but a walk-off like that from halfcourt I've never done that before. I don’t know if I'll ever do it again but I'll take this one tonight."
Giddey has been proving he's a special player since his rookie campaign in 2021-22 with Oklahoma City.
The Thunder traded him to Chicago in the summer and then watched him dazzle for Australia at the Olympics, just as he had at the World Cup in 2023.
Giddey was sensational in France, averaging 17.5 points 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.
FIBA