Bulls' Jimmy Butler: Drains winning free throws Thursday

Butler managed 29 points (9-20 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 9-9 FT), seven assists, four rebounds and one block over 40 minutes in Thursday's 104-103 win over the Celtics.

Analysis:

Butler's scoring total was a team high, but it was his final two points of the night that were the most crucial. The All-Star forward was fouled by Marcus Smart on his game-winning shot attempt and sank the subsequent pair of free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining to give the Bulls the improbable victory. Butler bounced back nicely over the last two games after missing four contests earlier in February with a heel injury, following up Tuesday's 19-point, 12-assist double-double with what was his best scoring total since Jan. 25. He's worked in concert with key free-agent acquisition Dwyane Wade when the latter has been healthy, and heads into the All-Star break with career-best averages of 24.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists, along with a figure of 1.8 steals that serves as his second-best number in that category.