Jimmy Butler looked like a guy who just came back to work, feeling refreshed from a tropical vacation. He was actually just nursing himself back to health in cold, grey Chicago. But whatever works. Work is exactly what Butler did on Saturday afternoon, leading the Bulls to a 107-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the United Center.
The Bulls’ fearless leader returned from a two game absence due to illness. Really, it was a three game absence. He may have played 29 minutes against the Thunder on Monday, but he scored just 1 point on 0-6 shooting as he tried and failed to have himself a “flu game.” He looked healthy on Saturday though, providing the needy Bulls with a little bit of everything. Jimmy tallied 28 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. That’s a hell of a stat line. Per usual, the Bulls needed all of it to win.
Through the first three quarters, Dwyane Wade looked like a guy who turns 35 in a couple of days. He started the night 2-13 before scoring 15 of his 22 points in the 4th to help the Bulls preserve the victory. Fred Hoiberg said Wade will rest tomorrow while the team plays their back to back.
Other than Butler and Wade, the big key for Chicago was their absolute dominance on the boards. That’s been a strength for this team all season, and they made quick work of the Pelicans in that regard. They held a 63-42 advantage on the glass, and generated lots of extra possessions with 21 offensive rebounds. Robin Lopez provided 9 of those while Taj Gibson tallied 16 total.
Quick Hits
Nikola Mirotic missed his third straight game with the flu. He is not expected to play tomorrow. Denzel Valentine returned to action after missing one game with a stomach bug, but played just _ minutes with a healthier roster at Hoiberg’s disposal.
Former Bulls guard E’Twaun Moore had a nice game for New Orleans off the bench with 16 points. He signed a 4 year, $34 million deal with the Pelicans as a free agent last summer after playing two seasons in Chicago.
Anthony Davis scored 36 points to lead the Pelicans. He added 14 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Next Up: The Bulls face the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday to finish their back to back and stretch of 5 games in 7 days. This is the first of two games against Memphis this season. Tipoff is at 8:00 PM CST.
