Aussie Star Josh Giddey’s Season Cut Short After Gallant Injury Battle as Heat Blaze Past Bulls in Chicago

Josh Giddey’s remarkable season has come to a close following the Miami Heat’s dominant 109-90 victory over the Chicago Bulls in an NBA play-in elimination match.

Giddey, a guard for the Bulls, delivered another strong performance, leading the team with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on Thursday (AEST).

However, he couldn’t compete with the Heat’s Tyler Herro, who exploded for a game-high 38 points, paving the way for a clash with Boomers star Dyson Daniels and the Atlanta Hawks this Saturday (AEST).

The victor of the Heat-Hawks match will move on to the play-offs to face off against the Eastern Conference top seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Miami controlled the game from the outset, leading 71-47 at the break.

Chicago’s 90 points marked a season low.

“The Bulls are being thoroughly dominated in the paint,” was the assessment from Doris Burke during ESPN’s coverage.

Prior to the game, ESPN insider Shams Charania revealed that Giddey had been battling through a muscle tear in his right hand over the previous month.

“It’s a pain tolerance issue,” Charania noted.

“It will take him several weeks after the season to rest and rehabilitate.”

Herro started brilliantly, hitting his first eight attempts and finishing the night shooting an impressive 13 of 19.

The All-Star guard sunk three three-pointers as Erik Spoelstra’s Heat eliminated the Bulls from the play-in tournament for the third consecutive year.

“We’re only halfway there,” said coach Spoelstra.

“We couldn’t just walk into this match and assume victory. The guys are thrilled with this success and have put in a lot of effort. It’s not a process that happens overnight.

“I’ve noticed some positive developments in the past few weeks.”

The Bulls managed to cut the deficit to 13 points early in the final quarter but faltered down the stretch, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Herro set the early pace as Miami established an early lead, but he wasn’t alone in his efforts; Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 20 points and nine rebounds while Bam Adebayo added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

“I just came out aggressive,” Herro commented during the ESPN coverage.

“After a few days off, we prepared thoroughly leading up to this game. The Hawks are a formidable team.

“They play at a fast tempo, so we need to execute our game plan effectively.”

As for Giddey, he is set to enter restricted free agency, with anticipation of receiving a significant contract from the Bulls.

“Pay that man his money,” proclaimed Richard Jefferson on ESPN.

“It would be shocking if they don’t keep him,” added legendary commentator Mike Breen.

Bulls supporters expressed their frustrations with yet another playoff exit at the hands of Miami.

“Sell the team” chants echoed around the United Centre.

Jerry Reinsdorf, 84, has owned the Bulls since their legendary era with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

“We lacked discipline in executing our game plan,” Bulls guard Coby White reflected.

“We beat them during the regular season and thought if we just played our game, we would be fine. But they have experienced players who know the grind of the playoffs.

“They have a head coach who is among the best in the league. They were simply the better team today.”