Giddey's party at the Garden not enough

• Josh Giddey dominated for the Bulls with 27 points and 16 rebounds, including four three-pointers
• Fellow Aussie Josh Green had a season-high 19 points for the Charlotte Hornets
• Dyson Daniles recorded another double-double while Ben Simmons played a valuable role for the Clippers

A monstrous 27-point, 16-rebound performance from Australian guard Josh Giddey wasn't enough for the Chicago Bulls, who lost 113-111 in an overtime thriller to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Karl-Anthony Towns' was dominant for the Knicks with 32 points and 18 rebounds to secure a crucial home victory for the Knicks, solidifying their position near the top of the Eastern Conference.

New York started slowly, trailing 21-19 after the first quarter but rallied to take a 50-43 lead into halftime before Chicago stormed back in the third, outscoring the Knicks 38-33 to cut the deficit to just two points heading into the final period.

Both teams traded blows in the fourth quarter with neither able to gain a significant advantage and with just seconds remaining in regulation, Coby White hit a clutch jumper for the Bulls to tie the game at 104, forcing overtime. In the extra period, the Knicks' experience and home-court advantage proved decisive, outscoring Chicago 9-7 to secure the narrow victory.

Knicks guard Miles McBride came up big for New York in overtime, draining a critical three-pointer to give the Knicks a 111-109 lead as the shot and his 23-point performance, proving to be the difference-maker.

Towns was the standout performer for New York, shooting 14-30 from the field and grabbing 16 defensive rebounds and his presence in the post was a constant problem for the Bulls' defence, creating opportunities for his teammates and controlling the glass. Jalen Brunson also contributed 22 points and 12 assists for the Knicks and Mikal Bridges chipped in with 13 points and five assists.

Giddey continued his impressive form for Chicago with his all-around game was on full display, as he shot an efficient 11-18 from the field, including 4-6 from three-point range, while also dishing out four assists.

Despite the loss, the Bulls received solid contributions from Nikola Vucevic (21 points, nine rebounds) and Lonzo Ball (14 points, four assists) but their bench was outscored 12-31 by the Knicks' reserves.

The game's statistics reflect its competitive nature, with both teams nearly even in several categories. The Knicks held a slight edge in field goal percentage (43% to 39.8%) and rebounding (54-53), while the Bulls had the advantage in three-point shooting (39.6% to 30.4%). Turnovers were also closely matched, with New York committing 11 to Chicago's 15.

This victory solidifies the Knicks' position as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, improving their record to 37-18 while the loss for the Bulls drops them to 22-34, remaining in the play-in picture in 10th spot.

Memphis Grizzlies @ Indiana Pacers

A dominant 30-point performance from Tyrese Haliburton has led the Indiana Pacers to a 127-113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana put 50 points on the Grizzlies in the second quarter to lead 78-59 at halftime before Memphis rallied in the second half but the Pacers were able to hold off the visitors to record a 14-point win. Aussie Johnny Furphy played two minutes in the win for the Pacers.

Ja Morant scored 22 points, had four rebounds and eight assists in 28 minutes for Memphis.

Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks

Aussie guard Dyson Daniels, now a serious contender for Defensive Player of the Year with Victor Wembanyama out for the season, recorded a double-double but the Atlanta Hawks fell to the Orlando Magic 114-108 at State Farm Arena.

Daniels had 10 points and 11 rebounds, however he was overshadowed by Magic superstar Paolo Banchero who led the Magic to victory with 36 points and 10 rebounds.

Trae Young was the standout for Atlanta with 38 points.

Los Angeles Clippers @ Milwaukee Bucks

Ben Simmons continues to show he can play a valuable role for the Los Angeles Clippers after joining the team following his buyout from the Brooklyn Nets with the three-time All-Star impressing despite his team's 116-110 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at the Fiserv Forum.

Simmons had six points, five rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes off the bench for the Clippers but also provided some tough defence on Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who still ended the game with 23 points and eight rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard led the scoring for the Clippers with 25 points. Patty Mills received a DNP Coach's Decision.

Charlotte Hornets @ Denver Nuggets

Aussie Josh Green had arguably his best game of the season for the Charlotte Hornets, recording a season-high 19 points in the team's 129-115 loss to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.

Green, who started the season slowly for the Hornets, was 7-13 from the field, including five three-pointers to be Charlotte's second leading scorer behind Miles Bridges with 36.

Jamal Murray had 34 points for the Nuggets while Jokic dominated with 27 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Portland Trailblazers

LeBron James bounced back from missing two game-tying three-point attempts against Charlotte last night to have 40 points and lead the Los Angeles Lakers to 110-102 win over the Portland Trailblazers at the Moda Center.

Austin Reaves also had 32 points for the Lakers while Aussie big man Duop Reath received a DNP Coach's Decision and Matisse Thybulle remains out through injury.

‍