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NEW YORK – He did it again.
Eight days after scoring a 3-pointer for his new team, Jimmy Butler hit a shot at roughly the same spot on the ground with 2.3 seconds left to give the Philadelphia 76ers a 127-125 victory over the Nets of Brooklyn Sunday. .
"Another piece drawn by [Sixers coach Brett Brown]and my teammates have a lot of faith in me for shooting late, "Butler said. I arrived at the place where I wanted to go. I got up and I knocked him down. "
The shot earned Philadelphia a win after beating Brooklyn by 19 points midway through the third quarter. It also strengthened Butler's reputation as a clutch player.
Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Butler has five winning strokes with 10 seconds or less to play. According to Russell Westbrook (seven), he has more in this period, according to the research of ESPN Stats & Information.
But But minimized the idea that he was the Sixers' most valuable player in a critical period.
"To tell the truth, it could have been anybody," he said. "They have a lot of confidence in me, but I have so much more confidence in these guys."
It should be noted that Butler has a 2-on-3 potential on equal or opposite shots in the last 10 seconds of the game since he was traded to the Sixers two weeks ago. His first mark was a 3-pointer from the wing – almost the same place as his shot Sunday – to give Philadelphia an overtime victory against Charlotte on November 17th.
All of Butler's Sixers teammates have been hit for 13 shots in the past two seasons, according to ESPN Statistics & Information.
After the match, Brown said his best option on the Sixers' final possession was to allow Butler to try his luck with a shot from behind.
"The great player came in his place and managed a powerful shot," said Joel Embiid, who jumped on Butler during the celebration that followed the winner, after scoring 32 points against Brooklyn.
Although it was not due to a lack of confidence in his team mates, Butler joked that he had no intention of passing the ball when he had overtaken it with less than 10 seconds to play.
"I'm not even going to stunt, I was shooting that ball," said Butler (34 points, 12 rebounds) with a smile. "This ball was coming up."
Butler made fadeaway 3 from one of his favorite spots on the ground. He stated that he had practiced shooting a lot during a training session in Villanova the night before the match.
While Brown was impressed by the winner of the game, he also awarded Butler the strength to dive on the ground to force a jumped ball with 12 seconds to play, a sequence that allowed the Sixers' final possession.
"It was massive downhill," said the coach.
Butler also played a key defensive role in setting up his previous winner against the Hornets. He blocked Kemba Walker's shot on a drive with 15 seconds to go, and then stopped the ball out of bounds. Walker scored 60 points in the game.
"Jimmy did what Jimmy did and what he did for us before," Brown said Sunday.
Butler's shot helped Philadelphia avoid what would have been a second consecutive loss against a team below .500. The Sixers lost at home Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had not won on the road.
Philadelphia struggled to defend early against the Nets, falling 20 points in the first half and 19 minutes late at 6:20 to qualify in the third quarter. Brown said the club had started doubling the pick-and-roll in the second half, which had slowed Nets guards Angelo Russell (38 points) and Spencer Dinwiddie (31).
Russell and Dinwiddie are the last major guards to exploit Philadelphia, which came into play on Sunday, awarding 19.5 points per game to the opposing goalkeeper, the third highest mark in the NBA.
But the defensive scheme of Sunday's end was a key factor in Philadelphia (14-8), beating Brooklyn by 15 in the fourth quarter.
"We started to be more aggressive by getting into the ball, doing what we were supposed to do," Butler said.
The Sixers are 5-2 since Butler debuted on Nov. 14. Brown congratulated the 29-year-old on Sunday for how he plunged with his Philadelphia teammates and coaches.
"He does not force anything, not his offensive play, his defensive play, or his personality," said Brown. "He understands us all and moves slowly, there is a kind of temperance and patience that I respect.
"He caught me off guard, it surprised me, and he's frank about it, that's what I'm evaluating, and when you talk to him, everything is calculated." He tries to fit into our program. and to our culture with humility and respect for what is happening and find its way slowly. "
Butler may choose not to participate in the last season of his current contract and test the free agency this summer. The 76ers could offer Butler a maximum contract of $ 190 million over five years, while the other teams could offer four years and a projected budget of $ 141 million.
"We will worry when the time comes," Butler said Sunday, questioned about a long-term future in Philadelphia. "But I really like it here, I'll tell you, but I do not know what the future holds for us." It's a cloakroom of hell, of Hell staff, I could see that it was at my house. "
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