NBA: Top 5 highest-scoring games of Jimmy Butler's career
Jimmy Butler won the Most Improved Player of the Year award in 2015 after averaging 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over the 2014-15 season.
In the 2017 off-season, Butler was traded by the Bulls to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine. He spent the entire 2017-18 season with the Timberwolves, playing under his former coach in Chicago, Tom Thibodeau. The T-Wolves made it to the post-season and lost in the first round of playoffs to the Houston Rockets.
Butler was recently traded to the Philadelphia 76ers after he requested the franchise for a trade. The 76ers are 8-2 since they acquired him and are currently at the third spot in Eastern Conference.
Let us take a look at four of Butler's highest-scoring games so far in the NBA.
#5 42 at Toronto Raptors, 3 January 2016
Stat line: 42 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and a block on 65.2% shooting
The Chicago Bulls' three-game winning streak started with their win against the Toronto Raptors at home. A few days later, the Bulls were on the road to take on the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre.
Butler scored a game-high 42 points to take the Bulls home.
He started the game with a turnover but quickly made up for it with an alley-oop layup off an Hinrich assist. However, that was his only bucket in the first half and the Bulls were down 60-48 at the half-time.
Butler took over in the third quarter and scored 21 points to cut the Bulls' deficit to just six at the end of three quarters.
It was all Butler in the fourth quarter as he exploded for 19 points, including a game-winning free-throw. The 4-time All-Star finished the night with 42 points on 15-for-23 shooting. He was also efficient from the free-throw line and went 10-for-11.
Even though DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had a great night themselves, Butler took the Bulls home single-handedly with 40 points in the second half.