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Josh Giddey's Honest Statement on Getting Benched During Bulls-Cavaliers

Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey struggled against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Joey Linn

Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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The Chicago Bulls fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, as Cleveland remains undefeated on the season. Now a perfect 14-0, the Cavaliers continue their incredible run to start the year. Chicago has already faced Cleveland twice in the last week, falling on Monday by final score of 119-113 before falling again on Friday night 144-126.

Starting point guard Josh Giddey played just 15 minutes in this game for the Bulls, tallying five points, three rebounds, and one assist while picking up four fouls. Giddey did not start the second half, which is a decision Bulls head coach Billy Donovan explained after the game.

Via K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports News: “Billy Donovan said he started Ayo Dosunmu over Josh Giddey in 2nd half because of Giddey's and Coby White's foul trouble and Dosunmu had been good at pushing pace”

Giddey shared his honest reaction to the benching after the game, taking full responsibility for his poor play.

“I wouldn’t play myself if I was Billy,” Giddey said. “No minutes tonight. I was bad on both sides of the ball. As I said, you just got to put this one in the bin and move on.”

Dosunmu played 26 minutes off the bench, recording 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block on an efficient 6/9 from the field. Giddey was a team-worst -27 in this game, and he took accountability for his poor play when speaking with reporters.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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