NBA Playoffs 2019: Philadelphia 76ers' Jimmy Butler earns Player of the Day

Benyam Kidane

NBA Playoffs 2019: Philadelphia 76ers' Jimmy Butler earns Player of the Day image

With Round 1 all wrapped up, the 2019 NBA Playoffs are heating up even more with the Conference Semifinals action!

Every day from now until the end of the postseason, our NBA.com Staff will bring you one top performer following the completion of the playoff games on that night.

You'll be able to see the best performance and three honourable mentions from each night, while also having access to all prior "Player of the Day" files, as we see who can tally the most honours these playoffs.

Today's player of the day is...

Team's result: Sixers 94, Raptors 89 (Series tied at 1-1)

Stat line: 30 points (9-22 FG, 4-10 3PT, 8-8 FT), 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.

Jimmy Butler put on a show in Game 2, scoring 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, when the Sixers needed it most. 


Butler commanded the game on both ends, hitting some big shots down the stretch, while shadowing Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard on the defensive end, picking the perfect time to break out of his three-game slump.

Honourable Mentions:

Nikola Jokic

Team's result: Nuggets 121, Blazers 113 (Nuggets lead series 1-0)

Stat line: 37 points (11-18 FG, 3-5 3PT, 12-12 FT), 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, two blocks

Jokic was a close runner-up, stuffing the stat sheet in Game 1 to lead the Nuggets to a 1-0 series lead. 

The Serbian was in attack mode all night, doing most of his damage in the third quarter, scoring 15 of his 37 points to help the Nuggets take 92-85 lead into the fourth.


 

Damian Lillard

Team's result: Blazers 113, Nuggets 121 (Nuggets lead series 1-0)

Stat line: 39 points (12-21 FG, 4-12 3PT, 11-13 FT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal

Damian Lillard put the Blazers on his back once again, with a game-high 39 points in Denver.


Lillard scored 14 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets held on to secure the W.

Kawhi Leonard

Team's result: Raptors 89, Sixers 94 (Series tied at 1-1)

Stat line: 35 points (13-24 FG, 3-10 3PT, 6-7 FT), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal

Kawhi Leonard saw a lot more defensive attention in Game 2, with Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons doing their best to limit his impact, but he just found ways to score at every turn.

Leonard scored 11 of his 35 points in the third quarter as the Raptors overturned an early 19-point deficit to get them back into the game, willing his way into the paint.


Previous winners

April 14 - Stephen Curry

April 15 - Giannis Antetokounmpo

April 16 - Lou Williams

April 17 - Kawhi Leonard 

April 18 - James Harden

April 19 - Ben Simmons

April 20 - Russell Westbrook

April 21 - Joel Embiid

April 22 - Kawhi Leonard

April 23 - Giannis Antetokounmpo

April 24 - Damian Lillard

April 25 - Lou Williams

April 26 - Nikola Jokic

April 27 - Kevin Durant

April 28 - Kawhi Leonard

April 29 - Al Horford

Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor and has been covering the league for The Sporting News since 2016. In his spare time you can find him watching Allen Iverson highlights on repeat.