The Wolves beat the Nets 111-97 on Saturday night at Target Center. It marked
the 10th-straight win for Minnesota at home, which is impressive. We wrote about
that here.
It also marked the return of Jimmy Butler for the Wolves. Butler missed the
previous four games with a knee injury. The held tight and were 2-2 without
Butler, but obviously you’re better with Jimmy Butler than without. Analytics
tell us that.
Butler revealed his game status early on Saturday in the comment section on
Instagram because it’s 2018 and that seems to make perfect sense.
Within the first two minutes of the game, Butler looked like the same Butler
we’ve seen all season.
well hey there mr. butler welcome back pic.twitter.com/G5CNPbSOoo– Kyle Ratke
(@Kyle_Ratke) January 28, 2018
well hey there mr. butler welcome back pic.twitter.com/G5CNPbSOoo
Butler finished the game with 21 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals
and a block. He was a bit rusty from the field, shooting just 4-for-14, but he
put pressure on the defense, getting to the free-throw line 14 times and sinking
12.
He also puts pressure on the defense with his passing ability, which is probably
the most underrated part of Butler’s game.
Jimmy Butler’s passing is such an underrated part of his game. Taj knows to be
ready to hit that midrange when Jimmy drives. pic.twitter.com/OqDzGDmzXW
Taj Gibson, always be ready.
Over the last two seasons, Butler is one of seven players to averaged 20+
points, 5+ assists and 5+rebounds per game. The others are James Harden, Giannis
Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin.
Butler’s 21 win shares of that stretch is second to only Harden.
“The intensity is so much different (with Butler back),” Wolves coach Tom
Thibodeau said after the game. “I thought first game back, made a lot of plays.
When the game was in the balance he made big play after big play.”
It will be interesting to see how Butler’s knee feels after Saturday’s game. The
Wolves have Sunday off before travelling to take on the Hawks in Atlanta on
Monday, followed by the Raptors in Toronto on Tuesday.
Player: Jimmy Butler
Media Content:
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Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Minnesota Timberwolves, Jimmy Butler, Tom
Thibodeau, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves
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