The Chicago Bulls got their point guard back, but it was their other backcourt man who continued to stay hot and lead the team to a fifth straight win.
Derrick Rose returned to the court after sitting out three games to a hamstring injury and gave way to fellow guard Jimmy Butler, who scored 32 points and dished 10 assists in a 117-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks as an encore to a record-breaking performance.
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In his previous game, Butler edged Michael Jordan’s franchise record for most points in a half (39) by netting 40 after the intermission in a victory against Toronto.
His 20-point first half against Milwaukee meant Butler combined for 60 points on 22-of-30 shooting from the field, 3-of-5 on 3-pointers and 13-of-14 from the free throw line in the past four quarters.
The 26-year-old, who’s averaging a career-high 22.1 points along with 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists, is in the midst of the best basketball of his career and was described by Rose as “ballin”.
“Jimmy [Butler] had it hot,” Rose said. “I was going to him in the beginning. He got us the lead. We got a great start in the beginning. He’s ballin’ right now, so keep going to him until he doesn’t want the ball anymore.”
While Rose remains the face of the franchise in some respects, Butler has become arguably the more important of the two, as well as the Bulls’ best player. Chicago’s net rating – the difference between offensive and defensive rating (points scored or allowed per 100 possessions) – is a plus-1.2 with Butler on the floor, compared to minus-0.1 when Rose is on the court.
Butler raised his game during Rose’s three-game absence, powering the team to a winning streak. Before getting hurt, Rose was having the best stretch of his season with point totals of 19, 25 and 20 until he missed his first game. Prior to that run, he had scored at least 19 points only five times. In his return versus the Bucks, Rose contributed 16 points on 8-of-17 shooting, along with six assists.
Though he may never return to the MVP level he was at in 2011 before knee surgeries hindered his career, Rose believes he can still find his form.
“It just takes me playing. I know that it’s there,” he said of his ability to get to the basket again.