Heading into the second half against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday at the Air Canada Centre, the Toronto Raptors looked in control of the game with a 60-48 lead.
And then Jimmy Butler happened.
After scoring just two points in the first half, the Bulls’ guard went off for 40 (!) points in the second half, carrying Chicago to a 115-113 road victory over a very good Toronto team.
Jimmy Butler did more in two quarters than most do in a full game. His 40-point second half is a Bulls record. pic.twitter.com/ijZVQh4K6L
— ESPN (@espn) January 3, 2016
The 40 points in one half is a new Bulls franchise record, beating the previous record of 39 points held by some guy named Michael Jordan.
Most points in a half – Bulls history: Jimmy Butler (2016): 40 Michael Jordan (1989): 39 pic.twitter.com/YYsghZEdTN — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 3, 2016
Butler’s biggest play came with the Bulls down 111-109 in the final 30 seconds, when he hit this awesome three-pointer and-one:
OMG Jimmy Butler 3 and 1. pic.twitter.com/EHzczMjVfK
— MarcusD (@_MarcusD_) January 3, 2016
And the Bulls’ team reaction right after the win was pretty great:
Look at the Bulls team after the win. pic.twitter.com/EKS3UFKfAW — MarcusD (@_MarcusD_) January 3, 2016
Butler, one of the very best two-way players in the league, is averaging a career-high 21.1 points per game. After winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player award last season, the 26-year-old appears to just be getting better, and (if it wasn’t already clear) is without question -the- guy on this Chicago Bulls team.
