Butler delivers in return as Bulls beat Rockets
This was the answer the Bulls fully expected: Getting Jimmy Butler back from a knee injury would solve plenty of problems.
Butler jumped right back into all-star form and the Bulls snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Houston Rockets 108-100 on Saturday at the United Center.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg knew what was up even before the game.
"(Friday's) practice was about as good as we've had the last month or so, really since he's been out," Hoiberg said. "He just shot energy right into our group."
Hoiberg didn't bother trying to ease Butler back into game action. He played 34 minutes before fouling out for the first time in his NBA career. Butler finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, while hitting 11 of 12 free throws.
Butler was involved in several violent collisions. He took a shoulder to the chin from Harden while chasing a loose ball, and was called for a foul in the process. Butler later hit Harden in the face while drawing a foul on a 3-point shot and fell hard while getting called for a charge in the second half.
"(My conditioning) wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Butler said in the locker room. "I think it was a competitive spirit kind of thing. I got to doing what I do best, foul. We can be good whenever we guard. Guard and you give yourself a great chance of winning. And for me, stop fouling."
Not only did the Bulls (31-30) get Butler back from 11 games off with a left knee sprain, Taj Gibson returned from one game off with a right hamstring injury and Nikola Mirotic made a surprising return from 16 games off while recovering from an appendectomy and hematoma removal.
Mirotic scored 7 points, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter.
With healthy players back in the mix, the Bulls used a starting lineup of Butler, Gibson, Derrick Rose, Mike Dunleavy and Pau Gasol for the first time this year. This was the 16th different starting lineup the Bulls have used. Butler and Dunleavy hadn't played together all season.
Gasol led the Bulls with 28 points and 17 rebounds. Rose had 17 points and 9 assists.
Butler and the Bulls couldn't really slow down James Harden, who scored 36 points but was held to 10-of-26 shooting.
The Bulls finished the first half on a 19-4 run, which included 11 points from the foul line, to take a 55-43 lead at halftime. The Rockets didn't make a serious run in the second half until Patrick Beverley's 3-pointer made it 104-100 with 34 seconds left.
Rose took a hard fall in the first quarter while taking a charge from Harden and his back seemed to be bothering him the rest of the night.
"That's what it was. He tightened up in his tailbone," Hoiberg said.
"He battled his way through at the end after Jimmy fouled out. We were hoping to be able to rest him the final minutes of the game. But when Jimmy fouled out and they were making a run, we had to get him back in there. He went in and responded."
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