Josh Giddey gets big minutes, rewards Bulls with triple-double

Josh Giddey finally got to spend more than 30 minutes on the court. Unsurprisingly, he had one of his best games of the season.

In 32:15 of playing time Sunday, Giddey compiled 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season and 15th with the Bulls, tying Scottie Pippen for the second-most in team history. The 32:15 of playing time was also the most for Giddey since Dec. 26 when he logged 32:37 in a win over the 76ers.

Giddey was somewhat handcuffed by restrictions that limited him to 25 minutes per game over the Bulls’ last five and hurt his ability to get into a rhythm. Giddey has not used that as an excuse, but the issue was moot Sunday.

“It’s just about getting rhythm, it’s about getting into the flow of things,” said Giddey, who has missed 21 games this season, 19 of them due to left hamstring issues. “Playing those kind of normal minutes does help a player just get back to normal rhythm, but I can’t make excuses.”

Giddey said he hopes the minutes restrictions were done after Sunday.

Tre Jones also got an extended run, playing 27:32. Absent from 18 games this season because of left ankle and left hamstring problems, Jones was averaging 23.6 minutes over the past five contests.

“I’m happy for those guys because I know they get frustrated,” coach Billy Donovan said. “They also understand, but they’re competitive and want to play more when they can.”

Hold the ball

The Bulls came into Sunday’s game averaging 14.3 turnovers per game, 21st in the league. That average, however, has been rising.

Over their prior five games, the Bulls were averaging 21.2 giveaways. Donovan excused turnovers that happen because of execution and not because players are on different pages. The ones caused by poor spacing and making bad decisions with the ball aren’t viewed the same way.

“We put those things on [tape] and try to help them get them to see it,” Donovan said. “It's easy for me in the position I'm in to show them film in slow motion of options, but they're having to make split-second decisions.”

The Bulls were somewhat better with the ball Sunday, committing 18 turnovers but canceling that out with 35 assists. Behind Giddey, Jones had six assists and Guerschon Yabusele collected five.

VIP guests

Pippen, not a frequent visitor to the United Center, sat in a suite with team president Michael Reinsdorf and former dynasty teammate Toni Kukoc, among others.

One of the other guests in the suite was Bears coach Ben Johnson. Johnson was introduced to the crowd during the second quarter and received a loud ovation. Johnson, who met pregame with Donovan, even faked that he would take his shirt off like he did in the locker room after the Bears’ Black Friday win over the Eagles.

Doc’s thoughts

Bucks coach Doc Rivers opened his pregame availability by saying he was thinking about the “Hammond Bulls,” referencing the Bears’ meandering path to a new stadium that might lead them to Northwest Indiana. The Milwaukee coach was born in Chicago and starred at Proviso East in Maywood.