Getty Images Jimmy Butler
The Chicago Bulls took a beating at the hands of the Miami Heat on Saturday night 127-109. The Heat pulled away in the third quarter as they outscored the Bulls 32-22 and led 98-79 at the end of the quarter.
For the Bulls, the loss drops them to 45-33, and is currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference a half-game behind the Toronto Raptors. The win for the Heat improves them to 50-28 and increases their lead on the Bucks for first place in the conference to a game and a half.
Butler Torches Bulls
Former Bulls star Jimmy Butler led the Heat in the win with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. He had an efficient night from the field as well shooting 7-12 and 2-3 from three-point range.
Butler spent the first six seasons of his career with the Bulls and was well regarded as a fan favorite. He was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves after the 2016-17 season in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the number seven overall pick that ended up being Lauri Markkanen.
Since that trade Butler has reminded the Bulls of how good he is every time he faces off with them. According to statmuse.com, Butler has played against the Bulls ten times in his career and the numbers are impressive.
In those games, Butler has averaged 24.6 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.2 steals per game. Those numbers are significantly higher than Butler’s career averages in every category. He has also shot 45.2% from the field in those games and his teams are +72 when he’s on the floor. Butler’s teams are also 7-3 against the Bulls.
It’s clear that Butler enjoys playing against the Bulls. He doesn’t seem to have animosity towards the franchise but admits he enjoys beating them after the game.
Jimmy Butler (and P.J. Tucker and Kyle Lowry 🤣) speaks after the HEAT sweep the Bulls in the regular season and improve to 50-28 this year
“It’s always good to beat these guys,” Butler said, “a really good team, but I think we came here and handled business got some stops, got some buckets, and pulled out a W.”
Bulls Struggles
This loss for the Bulls continues a troubling trend as the team is now just 2-19 against the top eight teams in the NBA according to statmuse. The bad news for the Bulls is their next two games are against top teams in the Bucks and the Celtics.
Chicago currently has a two-game lead over the Cavaliers, who are in seventh place. If the Bulls’ struggles against top teams continue in the next two games then things could get a lot tighter. The Cavs’ next two games are against the Sixers and the Magic.
Besides the next two games, the Bulls’ final two games of the season are also against playoff teams in the Hornets and Timberwolves. It will be a tough stretch for Chicago to close the regular season, but it’s also an opportunity.
If the Bulls can find a way to close the season 3-1 or better, it could give them some much-needed confidence going into the playoffs. It would also help them lock up the best possible seed.