Houston, Harden might be Butler's toughest assignment this season
The fire inside Jimmy Butler burns a little hotter than it does for most of his Chicago Bulls teammates. That much is obvious.
Butler's 2017 began with an inferno. He had games of 52 and 42 points, and in between, got the best of LeBron James at Cleveland.
An illness derailed his run and there was a flare-up of anger last week when he conspired with Dwyane Wade to question teammates' desire to win.
Now Butler and the Bulls are on the rebound. In their 2 victories this week, the Bulls scored 121 points against Philadelphia and 128 at Oklahoma City. They hadn't scored 120 in consecutive games since Jan. 15 and 16, 1993.
Butler got the best of one of the league's biggest stars, and fellow Mountain Dew pitchman, Russell Westbrook on Wednesday. Butler finished with 28 points, 5 assists and 3 steals and didn't play in the fourth quarter because the score was so lopsided.
Westbrook was good, but not up to his usual standards, finishing with 28 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds. Westbrook still is on pace to become the first player to average a triple-double over a full season since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62.
"You've just got to challenge every shot he puts up," Butler said of guarding Westbrook. "When you're playing against somebody like that, you've just got to do your best to make everything tough on him."
Up next is arguably Butler's toughest challenge of the season. He will go head to head Friday with presumed MVP favorite James Harden, who ranks third in the NBA in scoring and first in assists.
Butler also will be playing in his hometown of Houston, so his thermostat might be turned up a few degrees.
"We've got to start winning games, stringing together games," Butler told reporters after the win at OKC. "I don't know if we've won three or four in a row all year (yes, they have). … It's about time we start pulling away over in this Eastern Conference."
It's not completely accurate to say Butler and Harden will go head to head. Butler is expected to guard Harden most of the night, but Houston probably will use Trevor Ariza to guard Butler.
Having two high-scoring wings with Butler and Dwyane Wade could make it tough for the Rockets to match up defensively, but coach Mike D'Antoni's primary goal is to outscore the opposition.
Butler has played well in Houston. He has started games at the Toyota Center three times and averaged 22.7 points, shooting better than 50 percent from the field in all three. The Bulls won in Houston last season, snapping a three-game losing streak in the building.
Harden has not played as well against Butler. Harden has failed to shoot 50 percent from the field against the Bulls for five straight games. He scored 36 last year at the United Center but hit just 10 of 26 shots. The Bulls have won four of those five games against the Rockets.
For the Bulls as a whole, this game will be a good test to see if their offensive success is sustainable. They shot a combined 55 percent from the field in the last two games. Both times the Bulls had six players score in double figures, while Butler, Wade and Rajon Rondo collected at least 5 assists in each game.
Philadelphia had been 10-4 in January but played Sunday without top scorer Joel Embiid. Oklahoma City lost its third straight since Enes Kanter was sidelined with a broken arm.
Houston figures to give up plenty of points but owned the league's third-best record through Wednesday, so this one will be a challenge.
After the game in Oklahoma City, Butler was asked why he has been in the headlines so much lately, whether it's because of his critical comments, trade rumors or claims of friction with the Bulls' front office.
Butler used a Batman reference in his answer.
"Probably because I talk a little bit too much," he said, according to CSNChicago.com. "But in the wise words of Harvey Dent, you either die the hero or you live long enough to become the villain. I think that the (chatter) is what it is, but I'll continue to be who I am."
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Scouting report
Bulls vs. Houston Rockets at Toyota Center, 7 p.m. Friday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: This is the first meeting of the season between these teams. The Rockets are one of the league's most improved teams but have come down to earth a bit recently, going 5-7 over 12 games before hosting Atlanta on Thursday. MVP candidate James Harden is still the story in Houston. He ranks third in the league in scoring at 28.4 ppg and first in assists with 11.5. SG Eric Gordon is the team's second-leading scorer at 17.3 ppg, followed by PF Ryan Anderson (14.2) and SF Trevor Ariza (11.9). Under coach Mike D'Antoni, the Rockets average 40 attempts from 3-point range per game, tops in the league, and are tied for 10th in 3-point percentage at .365. The Bulls snapped a three-game losing streak in Houston last year.
Next: Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center, 9:30 p.m. Monday
- Mike McGraw