The Chicago Bulls win a big one on the road against one of the two top teams in the NBA right now in the Memphis Grizzlies. Jimmy Butler led the way with 31 points on 11-of-21 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 from the costless throw line to go along with 10 rebounds.
Jimmy Butler has had 30-plus point games twice in a row, which is the first time he has done that in his career. Jimmy Butler has without question been the most improved player in the NBA so far and has really played at an All-Star level. Butler was already a defensive force heading into this season, but he has drastically improved his game offensively.
Nikola Mirotic had a career-high 27 points off the bench and was 6-of-6 from three-point land and had eight rebounds in 30 minutes. Aaron Brooks chipped in with 17 points and four assists off the bench. Joakim Noah had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Pau Gasol had a quite night, scoring just 6 points on 2-of-7 from the field.
The Bulls held the Grizzlies to only 39 percent from the field, and the Grizzlies only made 2 threes all game. The Grizzlies, in fact, took 21 more shot attempts than the Bulls, but the Bulls made eight more three pointers and eight more costless throws to grab a six-point victory.
Derrick Rose was out for the Bulls because of illness. Tony Allen missed his second straight game for Grizzlies with corneal abrasion.
For the Grizzlies, Mike Conley led the way with 21 points. Marc Gasol recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds but was only 5-of-15 from the field. Zach Randolph was also not productive on the night with only eight points on 4-of-11 from the field. Beno Udrih was solid off the bench with 15 points, while Vince Carter added 10 points.
Memphis head coach Dave Joerger said, "Tonight was a game where we didn't have enough effort due in large part to very tired legs, the minutes have added up on us."
The Grizzlies have another tough game to play on Sunday, December 21st, against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Meanwhile, the Bulls will host the top seeded Toronto Raptors on Monday, December 22nd.