Jimmy Butler returned to the Bulls’ lineup Saturday night after missing 11 games with a knee injury, and he gave the Bulls 24 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists as they snapped a four-game losing streak with a 108-100 win over the Rockets at the United Center.
Jimmy looked as if he hadn’t missed a single game, as he got to the free throw line 12 times (making 11) and harassed James Harden into 10/26 shooting from the field. But on this night, each of the Bulls “big 3” played a huge role in the victory.
Pau Gasol led the team with 28 points (9/18 FG, 10/14 FT) and 17 rebounds, and he also added six assists, two blocked shots and two steals. Derrick Rose contributed 17 points (6/10 FG, 2/4 3-pointers) and a game-high nine assists.
Nikola Mirotic also returned to the lineup Saturday, which caught most everyone off guard as he had been expected to miss another week or two recovering from his appendectomy. Niko looked as if he has lost a good 10-15 pounds, and while he only played 15:47, he did a nice job off the bench with 7 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal. He hit 2/3 from behind the arc, both of them coming in an early 4th quarter run that pushed the Bulls lead from 8 to 17 with just under 10 minutes left.
It could be just a one-game situation, but coach Fred Hoiberg may have tipped his hand as to what his playoff rotation is going to be. Mirotic, E’Twaun Moore (25:30) and Doug McDermott (21:48) were the only bench players to log more than five minutes (Bobby Portis played 4:10 and Justin Holiday 4:00), and Aaron Brooks and Tony Snell each received a “DNP – Coach’s Decision”.
The win pushed the Bulls back into the #8 seed in the East playoff race, a game back of Indiana (tied in the loss column) and two games back of #6 Charlotte. Their next game is Monday at home against the Bucks (7 PM CT, WPWR and NBA League Pass).
Filed under: Analysis, Box Score, Game Recaps, News
Tags: chicago bulls, derrick rose, houston rockets, jimmy butler, nikola mirotic, pau gasol
