Butler saves the day for Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls were in a spot Thursday night where they could officially say, "It can't get much worse than this."
They played without Derrick Rose (knee) and Pau Gasol (shoulder and Achilles tendon) in Philadelphia, but that was no excuse for falling behind the lowly Sixers by 24 points in the first half.
Just when things got darkest for the Bulls, Jimmy Butler stepped out of a phone booth and saved the day.
Butler scored a career-high 53 points as the Bulls rallied for a 115-111 victory in overtime, snapping their three-game losing streak,
Butler's point total ranks 19th in team history, but only one player not named Michael Jordan has scored more points in a Bulls uniform. Chet Walker scored 56 points in 1972 against the Cincinnati Royals. The only other non-Jordan 50-point game in Bulls history was by Jamal Crawford, who put up 50 at Toronto in 2004.
Butler's stat line was staggering - 49 minutes played, 15 of 30 field goals, 2 of 4 on 3-pointers, 21 of 25 free throws, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.
Butler played the entire second half and overtime and spent plenty of time with his hands on his knees looking exhausted. But coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game he never seriously considered taking Butler out.
"It was one of those looks like if you take me out, I'm going to quit, that kind of thing," Hoiberg said. "So I kept him in there."
Butler was called questionable earlier in the day because of a sprained right ankle and did not participate in the morning shootaround. Rose warmed up on the floor before the game before deciding not to play. Gasol did not make the trip.
In overtime, Philadelphia scored the first 4 points, then E'Twaun Moore came back with 7 in a row. The Sixers had a chance to tie in the final minute, but Ish Smith missed a driving layup with 25 seconds left and Doug McDermott hit 2 free throws to ice the game.
Even with Butler's heroics, McDermott probably had the play of the night when he stole a pass near midcourt, drove into traffic and threw down a powerful one-hand dunk. The surprising slam brought the Bulls within 97-96 with 3:35 remaining.
Moore broke a 101-101 tie by nailing a 3-pointer with 1:16 left, but Smith evened the score again with a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left. The Bulls turned it over on their last possession.
In the first half, the Bulls produced a bizarre box score. Butler had 25 points, Taj Gibson added 11 and the only other scoring was five guys with 2 points each. The Sixers shot 54.2 percent in the first half and won the turnovers 12-2.
The Bulls will complete a grueling stretch of four games in five nights Friday against Dallas at the United Center.
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Bulls scouting report
Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks at the United Center, 7 p.m.
TV: WGN
Radio: ESPN 1000-AM
Outlook: The Bulls will be playing their fourth game in five nights, but the Mavericks aren't far behind, with four games in six nights this week. Dallas (22-18) has dropped three of its last four, but 2 of the losses went down to the wire. When the Bulls lost at Dallas 118-111 on Dec. 26, PG J.J. Barea scored 26 points and hit a career-best 7 from 3-point range. The Mavs hit 16 of 33 shots from long range that night. Derrick Rose scored 25 points to lead the Bulls. Dirk Nowitzki, 37, is still going strong, averaging 17.7 points. He rested during Wednesday's loss to Oklahoma City. PG Deron Williams is at 14.2 points with SF Wesley Matthews at 12.9.
Next: Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills, 2:30 p.m. Monday
- Mike McGraw