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'My goodness': America stunned by 'insane' Aussie NBA phenom

Andrew Reid
·5-min read
Pictured here, Thunder guard Josh Giddey in action against the Lakers in the NBA.

Basketball fans have been left awestruck by Josh Giddey after the Aussie rookie clinched a special piece of history in the NBA.

Giddey notched the first double-double of his fledgling career to help the Oklahoma City Thunder record their first win of the season with a surprise 123-115 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The OKC guard scored 18 points to play a massive part in the Thunder's incredible come-from-behind victory.

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However, it was Giddey's 10 assists that saw him become the youngest player who isn't LeBron James to achieve the milestone in the NBA.

Giddey, who turned 19 earlier this month, is the third-youngest in the NBA's 75-year history to record 10 assists in a game, with James - who holds the record at 18 years and 355 days - holding the top two spots.

Australia's No.6 draft pick stood tall for the inexperienced Thunder, who trailed 41-19 after the first period of a match-up that pitted the league's youngest team against its oldest.

Oklahoma City clawed their way back from a 26-point deficit as their offence clicked into gear midway through the second term.

The Melbourne product impressed with his vision and passing ability through traffic and soft touch around the basket, but one stray pass almost cost his team dearly in the dying seconds.

The Thunder led 118-115 when Giddey's inbound pass was snatched by Carmelo Anthony, who missed a three-point attempt that could have sent the game to overtime.

Luguentz Dort nailed a pair of free-throws to ice the game while Lakers star Russell Westbrook was ejected after a second technical foul against his former team in a feisty finish.

All five Thunder starters notched double-figure points tallies, with Giddey's back-court partner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way with 27.

The win came after Mark Daigneault's team started the season 0-4 with defeats to Utah, Houston, Philadelphia and Golden State.

Giddey's performance - in what was just his fifth game in the NBA - left fans scrambling for superlatives on social media.

Patty Mills off in Nets defeat

Elsewhere, Patty Mills had a rough shooting night as the Brooklyn Nets suffered a 106-93 home loss to the Miami Heat, despite a game-high 25 points from superstar Kevin Durant.

Mills, who reeled off 10 consecutive three-point attempts across the opening two games of the season, was 0-of-6 from long range and 1-of-9 from the field against the Heat, contributing just four points along with five assists.

Teammate Joe Harris overtook Jason Kidd as the Nets' all-time leader for three-pointers, moving to 816 successful attempts on 5-of-11 long-range shooting.

But the Heat were too strong for their hosts behind Bam Adebayo's 24 points and 17 from Jimmy Butler.

Seen here, Australia's Patty Mills in action for Brooklyn against Miami.
Australia's Patty Mills had a game to forget in Brooklyn's loss to Miami. Pic: AAP

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 16 rebounds but the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks lost 113-108 to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.

Montrezl Harrell (25 points and 11 rebounds) and Spencer Dinwiddie (22 points) starred as the Washington Wizards held off the Boston Celtics 116-107.

Trae Young scored 31 points as the Atlanta Hawks held off the New Orleans Pelicans 102-99, while Miles Bridges scored 31 points as the Charlotte Hornets returned to the win column with a 120-111 victory over the Orlando Magic.

with AAP

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