Jimmy Butler made his home debut with the 76ers on Friday and it was a successful one, as Philadelphia held off the Utah Jazz 113-107.
Butler finished with a team-high 28 points, seven rebounds and two steals in the win and after the game talked about how much fun he was having in his new setting.
“This crowd was rocking,” Butler told NBC Sports Philadelphia after the win. “We did what we’re supposed to do. It’s so fun to win, it’s so much more fun to play with these guys.
“Everybody wants to win and when somebody messes up, you talk to them, they don’t take it personal and they do their job. I think everybody’s such a good basketball player, and we all want to do right but sometimes we mess up."
It's no secret that Butler wore out his welcome in Minnesota, leading to the midseason trade from the Timberwolves to the 76ers. The post-game comments could be perceived to be a shot as Butler was very vocal about how the Timberwolves — and more specifically Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins — should play on a day-to-day basis.
Nevertheless, the four-time All-Star finds himself back in the Eastern Conference surrounded by talent that could very well make some noise come playoff time.
Regardless of the past, Butler is looking forward and ready to go to war with his new teammates in Philadelphia.
"(They're) talented, hard-working, their will to win is unmatchable," Butler said in describing his new teammates. "I love this group of guys. They want to win like I said and I think we'll continue to do that."
Butler and the 76ers could be in store to go on a winning streak and get back in the thick of things at the top of the conference as six of their next seven games will come against teams .500 or below. Only the New Orleans Pelicans (8-7) have a winning record as of Friday.
The 76ers will try to push their winning streak to two on Saturday night when they take on the Hornets in Charlotte.
