Aussies Abroad: Giddey eyes NBA return

With young Australian superstar Josh Giddey on the brink of returning from injury, his Chicago Bulls have scored an emphatic home NBA victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Coby White scored 27 points and hit six of Chicago's franchise record-tying 25 three-pointers as the hot-shooting Bulls scored a comfortable 138-110 win.

After hitting a season-high seven threes in Sunday's blowout win over Brooklyn, White had the touch again on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) as the Bulls made 25 of 47 shots from beyond the arc.

Matas Buzelis added 21 points, Ayo Dosunmu scored 18 and Kevin Huerter added 14, as all three made four threes.

Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and eight rebounds as the Bulls had their way with a team that came in rolling. The Clippers had won six straight and 13 of 15 since a 6-21 start.

Chicago led by 21 points at the half after matching a season high with 45 points in the second quarter, then broke the game back open after Los Angeles made a run in the third.

James Harden led Los Angeles with 24 points. John Collins scored 23 and matched a season high with five three-pointers.

In more good news for Chicago, coach Billy Donovan said Giddey is just about ready to return to the  line-up after being sidelined for three weeks with a strained left hamstring.

Before the Clippers game, Donovan said Giddey, who  has missed 11 matches, could return at Minnesota on Thursday (Friday AEDT).

"(Giddey) feels pretty good," Donovan said.

"I think it's just waiting to hear from the medical of what they want to do and how Josh feels. But everything that I've gotten from Josh in medical is that there were no setbacks and he's doing well."

Giddey has not played since a loss to New Orleans on December 31. He walked off the court gingerly in the first minute of the second half in that game.

The Australian has performed at an All-Star level in his second season in Chicago since a trade from Oklahoma City. He is averaging a team-high 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and nine assists, and has seven triple-doubles.

"I don't know what the cut-off point is in terms of missed games and things like that, but before he got hurt, I think you could certainly make the argument he was playing at that level for strong consideration," Donovan said.

Despite Giddey's absence, there was an Australian accent in the Bulls' team against the Clippers.

Lachlan Olbrich had a fleeting four minutes on court, finishing with one rebound and one assist.

In Houston, Alperen Sengun had 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to help the Rockets rally for a 111-106 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Tipoff was delayed by 22 minutes after a player bent one of the rims during warm-ups and it had to be replaced.

The Rockets trailed by as many as 16 points and were down by 10 before opening the fourth quarter with a big run to close the gap and notch their third straight victory.

In other results, Devin Booker scored 27 points as the Phoenix Suns scored a 116-110 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Utah Jazz beat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 127-122.

The Miami Heat lived up to their name, scorching to a 130-117 away win over the Sacramento Kings.