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Wade: Jimmy Butler 'playing out of this world'

Caylor Arnold / USA TODAY Sports

Dwyane Wade has shared the court with a number of Hall of Fame talents during his career, but the 14-year veteran is still amazed by teammate Jimmy Butler.

"He's playing as good as anybody in the league right now," Wade told ESPN's Nick Friedell after Butler spearheaded a fourth-quarter comeback against the Raptors on Saturday.

"What he's doing in the fourth quarter is even more impressive than the stat line at the end of the day. That stat line is amazing, but everybody knows we're going to Jimmy. And to still be able to make those plays, make those things, it's incredible. And then to still guard one or two of the other best players on the other end of the floor in the fourth, that's impressive, man. He's playing out of this world right now. His confidence is out the roof, and that goes a long way."

Butler finished with 42 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three steals against Toronto, leading the Bulls to a 123-118 overtime victory after Chicago trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half.

The two-time All-Star battled through a tough (10-of-25) shooting night to score 17 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

"Everyone in this league has talent," Wade said. "There's a lot of things that separate guys and that's one of them - the mentality. Even if you're having a bad game, to still be able to do that in the clutch, that's big time. Those players, those are special players right there. And he's putting himself in the category of just special."

Butler, who changed Saturday's game on the defensive end when he began guarding Raptors All-NBA point guard Kyle Lowry, is once again putting together one of the finest two-way campaigns in the league.

The 27-year-old is averaging 25.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.8 steals on a True Shooting Percentage of 59.1. The Bulls, meanwhile, are performing 15.5 points per 100 possessions better (+3.7 versus -11.8) with Butler on the court as opposed to the bench.

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