On Saturday night the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors faced off in what was one of the closest games on the NBA season. After being down 12 going into the fourth, the Bulls scored 33 to force overtime.
In overtime the Bulls scored 16, and beat the Raptors by a score of: 123-119
The Bulls were led by an impressive showing by Jimmy Butler. Butler scored 42 on 10-25 shooting with 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
He took over in the fourth quarter making clutch play after clutch play. He hit a three pointer with just 17 seconds left to basically put the game away for the Bulls. Butler proved why he deserves to be an All Star on Saturday night.
Perhaps the recent trade rumors surrounding the guard lit a fire under him. If nothing else, Butler proved how vital he is to the Bulls success.
Beyond Butler, the Bulls saw an impressive showing from Doug McDermott, Dwayne Wade and Nikola Mirotic.
Wade scored 20 points to go along with seven assists and four rebounds. He came up in the clutch late in the game saving the ball from going out of bounds, giving the Bulls an extra possession.
McDermott was arguably the most impressive player for the Bulls besides Butler. He scored 17 points with 10 rebounds and two threes. One of those three pointers came in the final moments of the game, helping the Bulls take the game to overtime.
Mirotic, who has had an up and down season all year, had a solid game on Saturday night. He scored 12 points with nine rebounds and three three pointers. He drained a three following an impressive pass from Butler to help the team take the lead in the fourth quarter.
While those three players shined, it was the Jimmy Butler show on Saturday night. He dominated the entire fourth quarter and overtime and quite literally put the team on his back. The Bulls wouldn’t of beaten the Raptors without Butler.
Chicago now sits 19-18, holding the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference. If Butler keeps playing like this, they should see that seed rise as the year goes on.
The Chicago Bulls next face the Thunder on Monday Night. That game should bring a MVP battle of Russell Westbrook vs Jimmy Butler.
If Butler plays how he played to that, the Bulls could perhaps steal a win from Oklahoma City on their home court.
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