Bulls Game No. 33: Jimmy Butler’s 26 points leads Bulls to bounce-back win over Denver
101. 73. 106. 24. Final
Sure, Derrick Rose scored 13 of his 17 points in the final quarter on Thursday night to help the Chicago Bulls finish off the Denver Nuggets, but #CrunchTimeDerrick wouldn’t have arrived without the league’s most improved player through the first part of the year.
To say that Jimmy Butler has had a fantastic start to his 2014-2015 campaign for the Bulls would be a major understatement.
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In the midst of his best season ever, Butler continues to prove that the Bulls can count on him to make big plays on not just the defensive end of the floor anymore.
During the Bulls’ 23rd win of the season on Thursday night, Jimmy Butler scored 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out eight assists in the victory.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 13 points into the third quarter, but Butler and the Bulls battled all the way to take a 77-74 lead into the final quarter, where Rose would take over the contest down the stretch.
Butler was stellar in the third quarter, scoring 15 of his 26 in the third alone.
With Butler leading the charge back into the ballgame, it was Rose who would take the reigns and finish off the Nuggets (13-20).
Although the youngest MVP in NBA history had another abysmal shooting night — 7-for-25 from the floor — Rose was clutch when the Bulls needed him most.
Not only did Rose score 13 fourth-quarter points, he scored all of them in the final 6:13 of the contest, with the Bulls clinging to a one-point lead.
"“People before me that played this game that achieved so much in this game, (a new) mentality, that’s what changed people. My mentality is not going to change. I’m going to shoot the ball. I’m a scoring guard. It’s midrange, it’s not like I’m shooting nothing but threes. Tonight they didn’t go in but at the end some did.”-Derrick Rose on his offense, CSNChicago.com"
Thoughts + what’s next for the Bulls
#CrunchTimeDerrick can thank #JiMIPmyButler for that fourth-quarter outburst on Thursday night.
Without Butler’s wonderful night at the office, the Bulls aren’t in crunch time with their MVP leading the way.
Butler is having an All-Star caliber season and is quietly sneaking into some MVP conversations of his own. Although I don’t think the fourth-year wing has a realistic chance at the MVP, he’s been the Bulls MVP through the first 33 games … and he’s only played in 31 games (if you catch my drift).
Rose was tremendous down the stretch, no question about that.
(He even made sure Butler got some TV time late in the fourth with this beautiful lob that should’ve made SportsCenter and Fox Sports Live.)
Outside of the Rose/Butler exhibition, the Bulls put up some impressive numbers on Thursday vs. Denver:
- 8-for-15 from long range, after shooting an abysmal 8-for-25 from deep on Tuesday vs. Brooklyn
- Set a franchise record with 18(!) — eighteen — blocks against the Nuggets
- Pau Gasol: NINE blocks by himself, which raised his block per game total to 2.3 (tied for third in the NBA with fellow Spanish National Team member and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka)
- The Bulls only committed seven turnovers in the win, after having 12 on Tuesday
The Bulls (23-10) will host the Boston Celtics (11-18) on Saturday night in the Windy City.
Both teams have won a game against the other this season, with Boston winning the first meeting in Chicago on November 8th, 106-101, and the Bulls winning the second in Boston on November 28th, 109-102.
Tip-off from the United Center is scheduled for 7:00 PM CT.
(Notes: There has been no word on whether or not Mike Dunleavy, who rolled his right ankle on Tuesday, will play on Saturday night. Dunleavy sprained the ankle in the second half on Thursday and did not return.
Kirk Hinrich returned to action on Thursday and scored 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night in 27 minutes.)
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Next: Bulls Game No. 32: Ugly loss to Brooklyn snaps seven-game win streak