Getty Philadelphia 76ers guard Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler is pulling no punches after the Philadelphia 76ers rolled past his former team in a dominant 149-107 win on Tuesday night. He was unable to hold back his happiness shortly after the final buzzer, and from there, the All-Star took the next step in trolling the team he previously demanded a trade from. Butler took to social media after the game and got a quick jab in.
Not only was this shade almost certainly directed at the Minnesota Timberwolves, but from the look of it, Butler went right at one of the players he seemingly had the biggest issue with. As you can see, the Sixers star had Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins literally in his direct eye line.
It’s safe to say that after a 42-point victory, Butler had to leave the floor feeling like he accomplished a few things in this game. Tuesday was the first of two matchups between the Sixers and Timberwolves, with the second set for Saturday, March 30 and will mark Butler’s return to Minnesota.
Jimmy Butler Tallies Impressive Stat Line in Win
Butler got the win he surely wanted over his former team and did so with a well-rounded effort in which he almost made things look too easy at times. The 29-year-old scored 19 points while shooting 80 percent from the field (8-10) and knocking down 3-4 shots from beyond the arc.
The Sixers dominant win led to the entire starting five being able to get some extra rest as the game rolled on. Butler’s 28 minutes were the most on the first unit, as Joel Embiid saw 27 minutes of action and the other three starters finished the night with 26. Victories like this are ideal for a team like Philly who’s dealing with some question marks surrounding depth, as it allows them to give extra run to the younger/less experienced players.
Start to Jimmy Butler’s Tenure With Sixers
Although Butler’s time with the Sixers has had some bumps in the road including rumors and rumblings involving off-court issues, the on-court production has worked out thus far. Philadelphia currently sits with a 29-16 record which is good for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. They’re just one game back of the Indiana Pacers for the No. 3 spot and four games back of the first-place Toronto Raptors.
While we haven’t seen Butler match his personal numbers from previous years, he’s managed to produce with the Sixers in a variety of ways. Through 26 games, he’s averaged 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field. Butler’s shooting percentage marks a career-best, just ahead of the 47.4 percent he shot with the Timberwolves during the 2017-18 season.
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