BUTLER RETURNS AS TEAM SEALS PLAYOFF SPOT
Guard scores 19 as Bulls clinch playoff berth; Mirotic sparkles again
With three weeks left in the regular season, the game plan is simple: Get healthy and let coach Tom Thibodeau do . . . his . . . job.
The Bulls took a significant step in that direction Monday against the Charlotte Hornets when leading scorer Jimmy Butler returned after missing 11 games with a sprained elbow. With Taj Gibson in his third game back from an ankle injury, the Bulls are waiting only on Derrick Rose’s return to get back to full strength.
Even with Joakim Noah taking the night off with ‘‘ general soreness’’ — he’s expected to play Wednesday against the Raptors in Toronto — Butler’s return gave the Bulls the boost they needed in a 98- 86 victory at the United Center that clinched their seventh consecutive playoff berth.
Butler showed signs of rust after a 22- day absence, missing nine of his first 11 shots. He even lost his shoe in the first minute. But he played fearlessly, took the ball to the hoop and finished with 19 points on 6- for- 20 shooting and nine rebounds.
‘‘ I’m glad to be back, but I’ve got to get better,’’ Butler said. ‘‘ I feel like I hurt us in a lot of ways, even though we got the win. Don’t get me wrong, but I made a lot of mental mistakes that just can’t happen. I’m confident in my game, but I’ve got a long way to go.’’
Wearing a sleeve over his left elbow, Butler said he was determined to go all out in his return.
‘‘ I forgot all about it completely, to tell you the truth,’’ Butler said. ‘‘ Maybe overaggressive, but you’ve kind of got to shoot the rust off. That’s what Pau [ Gasol] told me to do. I definitely [ did that] with 20 balls.’’
Thibodeau said before the game that hewould monitor Butler’s conditioning. Butler ended up playing more than 39 minutes.
‘‘ It’s great to have him back,’’ Thibodeau said. ‘‘ He missed a bunch of shots he normally makes, so his timing is not quite there. But as the game went on, he started getting back in his rhythm.’’
Butler was 0- for- 2 on threepointers, but he was rewarded for his aggressiveness. He made 7 of 10 free throws.
‘‘ I felt good,’’ Butler said. ‘‘ Rhythm was off, missing stuff I normally don’t miss, but that’s what teammates are for. I’ve got the best teammates, telling me to keep shooting and be aggressive. You can’t be in a better situation.’’
Nikola Mirotic scored 28 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Bulls ( 43- 28). Gasol scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his NBA- best 47th double- double. Guard Aaron Brooks had 13 points and 10 assists.
The last piece of the puzzle is a huge one. The Bulls still expect Rose to return for the playoffs, if not for the last week of the regular season.
‘‘ He’s making good, steady progress,’’ Thibodeau said. ‘‘ He’s doing everything in practice except the contact part.’’
Rose could be cleared for contact this week, which would be the biggest boost of all.
‘‘ We have a lot to look forward to,’’ Butler said. ‘‘ If we keep stringing these wins with the people we have, when we get all our pieces back, we will be hard to beat.’’