Josh Giddey did not have opposing fans on his side on Tuesday night.
When the Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Minnesota Timberwolves and fell 106-103 on the road at Target Center, Giddey was booed seemingly every time he touched the basketball up and down the court.
Giddey, 21, has faced allegations on social media that he had an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl, and now, the Newport Beach (Calif.) police department is investigating the matter “to see if there is any validity to the claims and if any laws were broken,” according to TMZ.
Before Tuesday night’s NBA In-Season Tournament game, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was asked about the TMZ report but did not offer any clarity into the situation.
“I’m not gonna comment on anything as it relates to Josh off the court,” he said.
During the first half of the game, Giddey — who was greeted positively with applause on Saturday at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City — was loudly hit with boos from Minnesota fans when he was either passed the ball or dribbled it up the court.
With 10:47 left in the second quarter, as he was booed, the crowd then cheered when he attempted a pass down low toward the basket that ended up going out of bounds.
About a minute later, Giddey was on the free throw line and jeered by the crowd, which then started cheering again when he clanked his first of two attempts off the rim.
He finished the game with 10 points, going 4-for-10 from the field while adding six rebounds.
Giddey, during Thunder practice on Friday, spoke with reporters about the allegations but did not go into any details.
“Yeah, I mean, I understand the question, obviously,” Giddey said. “But there’s no further comment right now. … I get the question guys. I completely understand you guys want to know about it. But just for right now, I don’t have anything to say.”
On Friday, an NBA spokesperson confirmed to The Post that it was “looking into” the matter.