What a difference a couple of weeks make.
After being on the receiving end of a historic 73-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Oklahoma City Thunder exacted some revenge, securing a 102-99 win at FedEx Forum.
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Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander weren't in the lineup for their previous defeat, but the backcourt duo lit it up in today's 102-99 win, with SGA scoring a team-high 23 points, while Giddey delivered a historic game.
After falling just short of recording his first career triple-double on Sunday (AEDT), Giddey was in attack mode against the Grizzlies, piling up 14 of his 19 points in the second quarter alone — the first double-digit scoring quarter of his career.
With the game going down to the wire, Giddey came up with some big plays down the stretch for the Thunder, finding Kenrich Williams for a 3-pointer, before connecting on a go-ahead layup with 50 seconds to go.
He saved his best for last, with his 11th assist helping seal the win, finding Gilgeous-Alexander with a smooth dime off the inbound.
“I told the guys when I got it out of bounds be ready because I’m going to throw those balls to the ring,’” Giddey said in his on-court post-game interview.
“I told Shai ‘they’re going to overplay you, so just cut to the ring and you’re going have two points.’
“They trust me to inbound and that’s why I inbound to make plays like that.”
MORE: Running diary of Josh Giddey's best moments, stats, highlights
Giddey finished with 19 points, (tying his career-high) 11 assists (career-high) and five rebounds in the win, becoming the first Thunder rookie since Russell Westbrook to record back-to-back games with 10+ assists.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Giddey joins LaMelo Ball as just the second teenager in NBA history with 20 rebounds and 20 assists in a two-game span.
Giddey now has five double-doubles on the season and through 27 games is averaging 10.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, quickly becoming a nightly triple-double threat.
At 19 years, 72 days, he still has some time to create history and become the youngest player with a triple-double in NBA history and break Ball's current record.
Youngest triple-doubles in NBA history
| RANK | PLAYER | AGE | YEAR |
| 1. | LaMelo Ball | 19 years, 140 days | 2021 |
| 2. | Markelle Fultz | 19 years, 317 days | 2018 |
| 3. | Luka Doncic | 19 years, 327 days | 2019 |
| 4. | Lonzo Ball | 20 years, 15 days | 2017 |
| 5. | LeBron James | 20 years, 20 days | 2005 |
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