Butler does it to Nets

CHICAGO — With just under five minutes left, Jimmy Butler had to be helped to the bench and couldn’t seem to put any weight on his right ankle.

It appeared his night was over. He was far from finished, though.

Butler matched his season high with 40 points and hit a 20-footer at the buzzer Wednesday to give the Chicago Bulls a 101-99 comeback victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Butler scored nine points in the final 2 1/2 minutes to rally Chicago. He finished 11 for 11 from the free throw line and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Bulls overcame a sevenpoint deficit in the final three minutes for their second consecutive win.

“He was phenomenal, obviously,” Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He put the team on his shoulders. He willed them to the finish line.”

Butler also willed himself because he acknowledged his ankle — hurt when he landed on the foot of Brooklyn’s Randy Foye — still was aching after the game. But with Dwyane Wade already in the locker room due to a migraine, Butler never doubted he would return.

Brook Lopez had 33 points — including a career-high five 3-pointers — as the Nets dropped their 12th straight road game.

“Chicago made a great push; they hit a lot of tough shots,” Lopez said. “I’m disappointed in myself. I definitely should have converted on a few of those last possessions, but I let them get back in the game.”

Lopez had 19 first-half points to spark Brooklyn to a 49-46 halftime lead. The 7-footer was 4 for 5 on 3-pointers in the first 24 minutes and celebrated by holding up three fingers as he ran down the court following each one.

Brooklyn had a 97-90 lead with just more than two minutes to play and appeared headed for a comfortable win, but Chicago stormed back.