Jimmy Butler praises Philadelphia 76ers bench players after Game 2 win over Toronto Raptors
Tuesday 30 April 2019 11:17, UK
Jimmy Butler praised the contributions of the Philadelphia 76ers bench players after he scored 30 points in the Game 2 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Butler's team-high scoring performance helped the Sixers to a series-levelling 94-89 road win at the Scotiabank Arena and allowed them to seize the home court advantage in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series.
Speaking after the game Butler credited the efforts of his team-mates for the part they played in his performance and for their contributions in the victory itself.
"[My team-mates] put a lot of confidence in me before the game. I put in a lot of work last night as well as this morning. All in all, it was a team effort," he said.
Asked about the importance of the 76ers reverses, who outscored their Raptors counterparts 26-5, Butler said: "They came in and made shots, that always helps. We hype them up, 'shoot the ball when you're open'. The game is really simple. We just want everybody aggressive. They came in and did their job."
Sixers head coach Brett Brown echoed Butler's sentiments. "It's a 'tale of a team' win," he said. "It really was contributions from a bunch of different people. I thought Greg [Monroe] was outstanding."
Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry reflected on Butler's performance. "They came out really aggressive and he made some shots. He was attacking," he said.
"[Butler] played really hard. That's the type of player he is. He's an All-Star, an All-NBA-calibre player and he played that way tonight.
Game 3 takes place in Philadelphia in the early hours of Friday morning, live on Sky Sports Arena.
