Jimmy Butler put up a stellar performance in the Sunday game against the Lakers, scoring 40 points to win the game in Los Angeles. He had said to Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg before the game to score 40 points.
He fulfilled his promise to score 40 points in a 118-110 victory over the Lakers at Staples Center on Sunday Nov. 22, according to Bleacher Report. He also provide 6 assists and 7 rebounds to the game.
Coach Hoiberg chose to let Wade to rest in the Sunday game after his hard work a day before in the 95-102 loss against LA Clippers. Butler made a very impressive performance without Wade who sat at the sideline and supporting the team. Hemade 14 shots from 23 attemps and went 14 times to the free throw line and made 12 of them.
"I just felt like that's what my team was going to need from me, to tell you the truth," Butler said after the game. "With our second-leading scorer out, I know I have to pick up the pace a little bit."
The rest of Chicago Bulls also played very well to contain the young Lakers squad. Isaiah Canaan played off-the bench and scored 17 points, followed by Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic scored 15 points each. Mirotic also tallied 15 rebounds in the game.
Butler showed that he is able to step up when the team needs him the most. According to ESPN, Butler gave his best game when his team needed it most.
This season Butler has been very impressive and compared to LeBron James, his performance without Wade is even more impressive. According to the data taken from ESPN Stats & Information, in 55 games playing without Wade, James needed 14 games before he scored 40 points. While Butler did it on the first occassion.
Watch Butler impressive performance in the game against Lakers below: