Bulls' Butler to return from 1-game absence Saturday
The Chicago Bulls will offer up a rare sight on Saturday night when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers: a full roster.
With Derrick Rose back in the fray (and set to see a minutes bump), the Bulls will also have Jimmy Butler back from a left calf injury after a one-game absence, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Butler, who sat out Thursday's come-from-behind win over the Miami Heat, leads the Bulls in scoring (20.1), steals (1.8) and True Shooting (58.3 percent), and ranks sixth in the NBA in free throw attempts per game (7.1).
It's an ideal time for the Bulls to finally be back at full strength. With playoffs just a week off, they're battling the Toronto Raptors for the third seed in the Eastern Conference, which will likely mean the difference between playing the Milwaukee Bucks or the Washington Wizards in the first round. The Wizards, one might recall, knocked the Bulls out of the first round in five games last season.
The Bulls and Raptors have identical records (47-32) but the Raptors hold the tiebreaker by virtue of having won the Atlantic Division.