Butler has 23 points and 11 assists as Bulls beat Pelicans 121-116
Jimmy Butler III had 23 points (12 in the fourth quarter) and 11 assists, and the Chicago Bulls beat the New Orleans Pelicans 121-116.
Butler’s 3-pointer put the Bulls ahead for good with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter.
During clutch time, the Bulls outscored the Pelicans 12-9. Butler (No. 7 in clutch wins added, 2015-16) scored 11 of the Bulls’ 12 on 3 for 4 shooting and 4 for 4 at the line. In the fourth quarter, Tim Frazier had 4 of his 11 assists off the bench, 1 of them on a basket by Jordan Hamilton that tied the game and 2 on baskets by James Ennis III that put the Pelicans ahead.
Nikola Mirotic scored 20 points (8 in the third quarter). Butler scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. The Bulls had 7 players in double-digit scoring.
For the Pelicans, Ennis scored a season-high 29 points on 9 for 14 shooting, and Toney Douglas added 21 points on 8 for 13 shooting. Frazier had a season-high 20 points, 11 assists and 3 steals off the bench. The Pelicans had 3 20-point scorers.
The Bulls shot 57.1% from the field to the Pelicans’ 51.2%. The Pelicans forced 9 turnovers, about 4 fewer than usual for this many possessions.