The Chicago Bulls have won five in a row, and got big performances out of Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol in a 117-106 win Wednesday night against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks.
Derrick Rose re-joined the lineup, and looked springy out there.
Butler and Gasol combined for 58 points in the victory.
Per the Chicago Tribune:
The Bulls’ 117-106 triumph over the Bucks marked their eighth straight game with 100 or more points, their first such streak since Nov. 25-Dec. 12, 2014. It’s also the first time since February 2010 in Vinny Del Negro’s last season that the Bulls have posted back-to-back 115-point games. They did it shooting a season-high 55.4 percent.
Coming off his franchise-record, 40-point second half on Sunday in Toronto, Jimmy Butler finished with 32 points and a career-high 10 assists. It’s the second time in Butler’s career he has posted consecutive 30-point-or-more games and the Bulls’ first 30-point, 10 assist game since Rose did so in March 2012. […] “Absolutely I think Jimmy has reached elite status in this league,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “You can see every game he’s getting more comfortable. Last year, he had fewer ball screens, more isolation-type actions. This year, he really has added that element to his game. He’s such a complete player. It’s a testament to what he does in the offseason. He just continues to add new elements to his game. He was in here at 8 a.m. (Tuesday) morning getting shots up. And he’s never satisfied. And that’s the true sign of a superstar, when you continue to work when you have success.”
Rose finished with 16 points and six assists in 34 minutes, 32 seconds. […] “I felt good,” Rose said. “I was never worried. I was able to work out the last couple, three days. I just tried not to mess up our run.”
