Had Jimmy Butler “only” scored 50 points in regulation on Thursday night, the Chicago Bulls would’ve lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. But Butler scored an incredible 51 points in regulation, and added two more points in overtime for a total of 53, to carry the Bulls to a 115-111 win in Philadelphia.
And Butler scored those 53 points in extremely efficient fashion:
15-30 on field goals, 21-25 on free throws (!), 2-4 on three-pointers. 53 points.
He also added 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Highlights of Butler’s amazing performance:
Tonight, Jimmy Butler became the 3rd Bull to ever score 53+ points in a game. pic.twitter.com/lUDFdkj7kX
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 15, 2016
Jimmy Butler joins Michael Jordan as the only Bulls players with 50+ pts, 10+ rebs, 5+ asts in a single game over the last 30 seasons. — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 15, 2016
Jimmy Butler’s 53 points matches Steph Curry for most in a game this season.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) January 15, 2016
The Bulls played this game without Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol, so they needed Butler even more than usual tonight. That was especially the case when Philadelphia had a 24-point lead in the first half. Butler most definitely came through.
When Butler got to 51 points, he had outscored the rest of his team:
Jimmy Butler has 51 points. The rest of the Bulls have 50. — Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 15, 2016
And Butler came into the game questionable with an ankle injury himself:
Butler (ankle) did not go through Thursday morning shootaround and is game-time decision, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com reports. Butler suffered a right ankle sprain in Tuesday’s loss to the Bucks.
All he did was manage to score 53 points in 49 minutes with a bad ankle. Not bad.
