Guard Josh Giddey, who helped propel the Chicago Bulls to a spot in the NBA play-in tournament, did not travel to Philadelphia for the final game of the regular season, instead staying home to get treatment on his ailing right wrist.
Speaking with reporters before Chicago’s 122-102 victory Sunday, coach Billy Donovan said there is “high-level optimism” that Giddey will play Wednesday in the home play-in game against the Miami Heat. He sat out of Chicago’s 119-89 win against the Washington Wizards on Friday.
As the No. 9 seed, the Bulls (39-43) would need to defeat the Heat (37-45) and then the loser of the play-in game between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks to qualify for the playoffs.
The winner of the final play-in game will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the top seed of the Eastern Conference.
Giddey, 22, is averaging 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game on the season but has been on a tear since the All-Star break. In his past 19 games, he is averaging 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists.
In a 119-111 win against the Heat on Wednesday, Giddey had a triple-double with 28 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. Those numbers gave him more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists on the season, joining only LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets to achieve the feat in 2024-25.
He joined Hall of Fame members Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen as the only players in Bulls history to reach those totals in a season.
Field Level Media contributed to this report.
