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Cavs' De'Andre Hunter sends Bulls' Josh Giddey to locker room with nasty crossover dribble
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- Cavs' De'Andre Hunter sends Bulls' Josh Giddey to locker room with nasty crossover dribble
CLEVELAND — Cavaliers small forward De'Andre Hunter came frighteningly close to literally breaking Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey's right ankle with a nasty crossover dribble in the third quarter of the Cavs' 128-122 win on Nov. 8 at Rocket Arena.
"I don't think I ever made nobody fall like that," Hunter said.
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The play occurred with 6:14 left in the third quarter as Giddey attempted to guard Hunter on the left wing. Giddey's right foot turned beneath him, causing him to collapse to the court in pain.
"I was kind of on my tippy-toes, so it's kind of a weak point of your ankle," Giddey said. "And, yeah, I mean, as he made the crossover, I was up on my tippy-toe and tried to change direction and my ankle kind of just rolled a little bit. But, yeah, it's not a good highlight reel to be on. It doesn't feel too bad or anything like that. But good move by him."
Josh Giddey says ankle feels OK after De'Andre Hunter crossover, but Bulls guard will receive treatment
After Hunter blew by Giddey, he drove for a dunk on Bulls forward Patrick Williams with 6:09 remaining in the third quarter. Giddey limped to the locker room with 6:07 left in the quarter and returned to the game with 3:40 left in the quarter.
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"It feels OK," Giddey said. "I guess we'll get some treatment tonight, tomorrow."
Hunter scored a season-high 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field (4 of 8 on 3-pointers). He compiled four rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in 30 minutes. Giddey finished with 15 points — all of which he scored before Hunter's crossover.
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The Cavs (7-3) closed the game on a 12-0 run after falling behind 122-116 with 1:47 to play. Guard Donovan Mitchell accounted for eight of those points, yet Hunter contributed a pivotal play in crunch time against the Bulls (6-3).
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As Hunter fought for rebounding position on the defensive end of the floor, Bulls center Nikola Vucevic pushed him down, committing a foul and sending Hunter to the foul line with 12.3 seconds left. Hunter made both foul shots to give the Cavs a 126-122 edge.
"I think that's what's expected of me," Hunter said. "I feel like I'm an all-around player, not just an offensive player, not just a defensive player. Everyone buys in to try to get a win, so I've got to do the small things."
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Nov 8, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter (12) shoots against the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Attention to detail has helped the Cavs earn a four-game winning streak. Still, everyone remembers the highlights, and Hunter's crossover is a play fans will likely be seeing for years to come.
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"I was more impressed with the dunk, too," said Mitchell, who matched Hunter with 29 points. "He followed it up, you know what I mean? He went there. I just was in shock. I don't want to say this, but I didn't know he had that in him.
"I didn't realize that there was no contact [on the crossover]. It was just a straight ankle-breaker, and then he got through them and finished it. So, if you look at me, I don't have any words. I'm just, like, in shock. But that was tough, and I'm grateful that Josh Giddey is OK, obviously. I know he was limping off, but it was an all-time play for sure."
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Hunter said he enjoyed watching his teammates react to the play. Coach Kenny Atkinson appreciated it, too.
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"Dre works," Atkinson said. "He really worked on his game hard this summer, and I think that part of the work he did was self-creation, trying to be able to get a little better at creating off the dribble. So, that was the first thing I thought about, watching all his work out in California."
Giddey can attest to Hunter's hard work paying off.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com . On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: De'Andre Hunter's crossover in Cavs vs Bulls hurts Josh Giddey's ankle
