Bulls beat Kings without Butler
With things already going badly for the Chicago Bulls out West, they received some unwelcome news. Leading scorer Jimmy Butler missed the game against Sacramento late Wednesday night.
Even without Butler, the Bulls were on fire in the first quarter, going 6-for-8 from 3-point range and taking a 34-25 lead. E'Twaun Moore scored 13 points in the opening six minutes, hitting all five of his shot attempts.
The Bulls led throughout and survived a late Kings rally to pull out a 107-102 victory at Sleep Train Arena, snapping a two-game losing streak.
Moore did a pretty good Butler impression, finishing with a season-high 24 points. Derrick Rose added 21 points and 9 assists, while Pau Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Bulls ended the night 11-for-21 from 3-point range.
During that first quarter, Rose passed Bulls vice president of basketball operations John Paxson for sixth place on the team's all-time assist list.
The reason for Butler's absence was tendinitis in the knee. He did knock knees with an opponent during Monday's overtime loss at Utah. He seemed shaken up and hobbled to the bench grimacing in pain. But after a timeout, Butler stayed in the game. He ended up scoring 26 points in 47 minutes.
This is the first game Butler has missed this season. He has joked a few times about trying to win a bet with his personal trainer by playing in all 82 games. Butler better pay up.
Before the game in Sacramento, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said he doesn't think Butler's injury is anything serious. The hope is Butler will be able to play Friday in Denver.
“You're replacing an all-star, so one guy isn't going to replace what Jimmy gives us out there,” Hoiberg told reporters before the game. “We'll hopefully get out there and get the ball moving, get out and play with some pace. You're obviously not going to replace Jimmy with everything he does for you on the floor defensively. He's a guy we go to a lot late in the game. Guys have got to step up and hopefully play well.”
Tony Snell started in Butler's place. Before the game, the Kings listed DeMarcus Cousins (ankle), Rajon Rondo (turf toe) and Ben McLemore (wrist) as questionable with various injuries. All three played, and Cousins scored 30 points.
Also before the game, the Bulls recalled Mike Dunleavy from a D-League assignment. The veteran forward participated in two practices with the Santa Clara Warriors.
Dunleavy did not play in Sacramento, but he might be ready to go soon. He has missed the entire season while recovering from back surgery.
“I'm pretty close,” Dunleavy said, according to espn.com. “Just a matter of seeing how I'm feeling the next couple days and probably start having conversations with the medical staff in terms of strategy and minutes and how we're going to structure this thing. Obviously, I'm really close and hope to be back soon.”
Hoiberg also updated Nikola Mirotic's health. The second-year Bulls forward had an appendectomy last week but also stayed in the hospital to have a hematoma removed.
“He's still in the hospital,” Hoiberg said. “He developed a hematoma, which is a collection of blood, that he had to go back in and have a second surgery to remove that. He's on a liquid diet right now. He's in quite a bit of pain but his spirits are OK.
“Hopefully he'll get out of the hospital soon and just get him back. As far as a timetable for Niko to get back on the floor, we just don't know yet. Hopefully we'll get him back soon.”
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