Jimmy Butler broke Michael Jordan’s franchise record with 40 second half points

Jimmy Butler exited the Bulls’ Sunday afternoon tilt with the Raptors midway through the second quarter after DeMarre Carroll busted open his lip with an elbow to the face. The Bulls, already missing Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah with injuries, trailed by 12 at the half and didn’t look like a team with the firepower required for a comeback.

So much for that. Butler returned to start the third quarter and took over the game, scoring 40 of his 42 points in the second half points to will the Bulls to an incredible 115-113 win. The Raptors had no answer for him.

The Bulls were down by as many as 15, but Butler refused to let Chicago lose. He scored 21 in the third quarter on 7-of-9 shooting from the field (and 7-of-7 shooting from the foul line), then added 19 in the fourth, including a three-pointer to put the Bulls ahead after trailing by two with 30 seconds left:

Butler’s 40 second half points surpassed Michael Jordan’s franchise record of 39 on February 16, 1988. Butler also helped hold Toronto wing DeMar DeRozan to just seven points in the second half.

Butler was so impressive the entire team came to give him a group hug after the final buzzer:

The lesson? Don’t give Jimmy Butler a bloody lip!

The Raptors must be wondering what they have to do to beat the Bulls. Toronto has now lost seven straight meetings to Chicago.