Butler Leads Bulls Past Nets, NBA Roundup

By ESPN

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 seven-point 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.

"When the adrenaline kicks in and the crowd's getting into it, I was ready to go," he said.

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. Michael Carter-Williams tied the game at 97 with 1:22 left.

Following a Nets turnover, Butler gave the Bulls their first lead of the second half with a 15-footer with 27.7 seconds to go. Lopez, though, tied it with 12.6 seconds left on a dunk over his brother, Robin Lopez.

That set the stage for Butler's step-back winner.

"That was a big-time shot," Wade said. "I'm just proud of him."

Wizards 111, Pacers 105

Losing shooting guard Bradley Beal for the second half against the Indiana Pacers could have been trouble for the Washington Wizards.

These days they're playing well enough to overcome it.

John Wall had 36 points and 11 rebounds, and the Wizards held off the Pacers 111-105 on Wednesday night despite losing Beal to a sprained right ankle.

Wall, who started 1 of 5 from the field, finished 11 of 19 and scored 23 points in the second half.

"I was just still trying to be aggressive, but get everybody involved," Wall said.

Otto Porter Jr. added 22 points for Washington, and Wall finished one assist shy of his first triple-double of the season. Marcin Gortat had 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Beal scored 12 points in 18 minutes.

The Wizards are 8-3 in their last 11 games, and have won seven straight at home. They're within a game of .500 for the first time since losing their opener en route to a 2-8 start.

"This is a classic example of how we have to continue to play," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "When some guy is out, next guy has to step up and give us some minutes."

Paul George scored 34 points and Jeff Teague added 19 points and 11 assists for the Pacers, who trailed by 11 after three quarters and cut the deficit to two late in the fourth.

Indiana has lost four straight since beating Washington on Dec. 19.

Washington outrebounded the Pacers 54-34 and scored 15 second-chance points.

"I thought there were some times when they, just, we got pushed around," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. "You've got to man up down there, and we need our guards, everybody to come down and get involved. That's something that we've talked about all season long."

Wednesday, December 28 Scoreboard

Washington 111, Indiana 105

Charlotte 120, Orlando 101

Atlanta 102, New York 98 (OT)

Milwaukee 119,  Detroit 94

Chicago 101, Brooklyn 99

New Orleans 102, Los Angeles Clippers 98

San Antonio 119, Phoenix 98

Denver 105, Minnesota 103

Portland 102, Sacramento 89

Golden State 121, Toronto 111

Thursday, December 29 Schedule (All Times Central)

Miami at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Memphis, 7 p.m.

Boston at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Utah, 8 p.m.

Toronto  at Phoenix, 8 p.m.

Dallas at Los Angeles Lakers, 9:30 p.m.