Butler's eye is fine; Bulls become 3-point dominant
The Bulls received some good news on Jimmy Butler. His injured eye was feeling good on Friday.
Butler was poked in the left eye late in the first half of Thursday's win over Cleveland and had to leave the game. He returned to play the second half, finished with 25 points, then wore an eye patch when he met reporters in the locker room after the contest.
"No abrasion or anything," coach Fred Hoiberg said Friday. "He got poked in the eye. But he's fine."
Backup center Cristiano Felicio, meanwhile, talked about his recovery from a bruised tailbone. He missed three games after taking a hard fall in Toronto last Tuesday and was available to play against the Cavs, but didn't get in the game.
"The next couple days (after the fall), it was a little hard to walk and sit down, so I mostly just lay on my back, but those guys (trainers) treated me really well," Felicio said. "I feel like I'm back to almost 100 percent."
Long-range success:
Nearly all season long, the Bulls have been the worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA. Over the past five games, they've been the best.
The Bulls have shot 43.8 percent from long range over those five games, tops in the NBA, and made 11.4 baskets from 3-point land per game for third-best over that span.
For the first time in franchise history, they made at least 10 3-pointers in five straight games. Nikola Mirotic has led the way, going 22 for 39 from 3-point range in the last five. Denzel Valentine is 10 for 26, while Jimmy Butler (6 of 11) and Rajon Rondo (6 of 12) are both at 50 percent on fewer attempts.
"Our pace has contributed to our 3-point attempts going up," coach Fred Hoiberg said Friday. "Having Niko play with the confidence that he is helps. Denzel hit 3 big ones for us (against Cleveland), a big one in the fourth quarter when we needed it. Jimmy is stepping up with confidence and shooting well. We're getting a lot of contributions from a lot of guys. And I give Rondo a lot of credit for being the catalyst and making plays."
Overall this season, the Bulls have moved up to 27th in 3-point percentage at .333.
Hungarian Jordan visits:
Kornel David, who was billed as the "Michael Jordan of Hungary" when he joined the Bulls' rebuilding plan in 1999, visited Friday's practice at the Advocate Center.
He greeted former teammates Fred Hoiberg and Randy Brown, along with assistant coach Pete Myers, who worked for the Bulls during David's brief stay. David, a 6-9 forward, appeared in 76 games for the Bulls from 1999-2000 and averaged 6.3 points,
A documentary was in the works about David's visit. Hoiberg gave an interview to the guy holding the camera, so check movie listings in Budapest or maybe YouTube in a few months.
Bulls match CPS donation:
The Bulls announced Friday they will match Chance The Rapper's recent $1 million donation to help Chicago Public Schools. Chance is a frequent visitor to Bulls games.
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks at the United Center, 4 p.m. Saturday
TV: WGN
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: Note the early start time if you're going to this one. The last time the Hawks visited the UC, the Bulls led by 10 with three minutes remaining, then let the game get away amid a flurry of 3-point baskets. In the locker room, Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler questioned their teammates' desire to win and you probably know the rest. Atlanta (39-36) had lost seven in a row, but righted the ship this week by beating Phoenix and Philadelphia in their last two games. Top scorer Paul Millsap has missed the last seven games with a sore knee and is not expected to play in this one. That leaves PG Dennis Schroder as the top scorer with 18 ppg, followed by SF Tim Hardaway Jr. at 14.2 and C Dwight Howard with 13.5. Jimmy Butler has averaged 32.7 points in three losses to Atlanta this season. The Hawks have won seven in a row over the Bulls.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Sunday, 5 p.m.
- Mike McGraw