NBA scores 2016: The Bulls are Jimmy Butler’s team

Butler’s 40-point second half, the Heat catching fire and everything else from Sunday in the NBA.

Jan 4, 2016, 1:00 PM UTC

Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Jimmy Butler is no Michael Jordan. "Don't compare me to him," he told reporters after the Chicago Bulls 115-113 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. But for a half, it was hard not to.

Butler went off in the second half against the Raptors, scoring 40 points on 14-of-19 shooting to break Jordan’s Bulls record of 39 points in a half. He was unstoppable, scoring in the lane and getting to the line as the Bulls came back from a 15-point deficit to win their fourth straight game.

Butler's offensive onslaught came after taking an inadvertent elbow from DeMarre Carroll in the second quarter -- he received one stitch to stop the bleeding in a lip laceration and missed most of the second quarter.

He came back with something to prove in the second half, scoring all but two of his 42 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds as he willed the Bulls to victory.

Kyle Lowry had 22 points and 10 assists in a losing effort for the Raptors, who had won four of five games. Now, Toronto has lost two in a row to Chicago.

When the Bulls started this four-game winning streak with a win over the Raptors, it was thanks to the bench trio of Tony Snell, Bobby Portis and Aaron Brooks combining for 51 points. Butler had only five points on 2-of-7 shooting. The game was another odd outcome for the Bulls, who were struggling to find an identity -- Butler had even said he thought new coach Fred Hoiberg needed to push his team harder.

But after the last three games, it's clear who the Bulls are: Jimmy Butler's team.

Butler's huge week culminated with Sunday's 40-point second half. In wins over the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Raptors, Butler averaged 31 points, five assists and four rebounds per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from deep and 82.4 percent from the line.

The numbers are impressive, but it’s the way Butler is taking over. He simply wasn’t letting the Bulls lose to the Raptors on Sunday. In his 40-point outburst, he drove to the basket at will and made difficult shot after difficult shot. Of his 19 shots in the second half, only five came outside of 16 feet -- one of which was the dagger that won the game for the Bulls.

It wasn’t the first game-winner of the week by Butler -- he hit another preposterous shot to beat the Pacers on Tuesday, this one a tip in with less than 1.2 seconds to play.

Butler’s second-half performance against the Raptors was urgent -- he willed his way to bucket after bucket. Perhaps Hoiberg is pushing his team enough and Butler has answered the call the past three games.

And the Bulls are feeding him. Sure, Derrick Rose has missed the past three games, but in that span the offense is going through Butler -- and that's a good thing. It's a small sample size, but over the past three games the Bulls have slowed things down offensively. They rank 22nd in the NBA in pace, averaging 98.8 possessions per 48 minutes, but over the past three games have averaged 94.27 possessions per 48 minutes. Their offensive rating -- points per 100 possessions-- in that span was 99. In the three games since it has jumped up to 114.7.

Rose’s return to the court is up in the air at this point -- he’s getting an MRI on Monday -- but the immediate future is bright for the Bulls. Butler is making sure of it.

2 other things we learned

The good Knicks can beat anyone. The bad ones? Not so much.

Coming off a 27-point loss to the Bulls on Friday where they shot 36.9 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from deep, the New York Knicks had lost 5-of-6 games and looked like a team ready to bow out of the playoff race in the East. But after dominating the Hawks on Sunday, they looked like a team capable of giving any team a scare. They shot 50 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from deep.

It was a similar performance to their big win over the Pistons, when they hit 54.4 percent from the field, only Carmelo Anthony didn't have to play like a star -- he had only 11 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists. It was Arron Aflalo who went off, scoring 38 points to lead the way. Suffice it to say the Knicks, do better when they shoot the ball well, but it's more than just that.

They're winning when moving the ball well and getting good looks. Plus, it helps when the frontcourt duo of Robin Lopez and Kristaps Porzingis were great, too. Lopez had 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks and Porzingis had 14 points and seven rebounds. The Knicks roster isn't loaded, but it does give them a chance to win each and every night.

Goran Dragic can be a difference maker for the Miami Heat.

The Heat dominated the Washington Wizards on Sunday, and Dragic, who had 18 points and five assists, outplayed John Wall. It was a miserable game for Wall, who scored 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting and dished out five assists. Dragic and Dwyane Wade teamed up defensively to hold Wall at bay, going under screens and forcing Wall to shoot from deep -- Wall was 2-for-11 from mid-range and beyond. Dragic has been improving as the season progresses. In November, he averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 assists per game. In December and January, he's averaging 13.2 points and 6.2 assists per game. The Heat are figuring out a way for Dragic and Wade to coexist, and the Heat are starting to emerge as one of the East's best teams.

Play of the night

Jimmy Butler was probably deserving of play of the night, but he's been covered -- something the Phoenix Suns were not doing on defense on Sunday. They were blown out by the Lakers 97-77, who were 7-27 heading into the matchup. And the Lakers were going Globetrotter on them. It's been a rough go of things for the Suns, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.