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The Sixers needed every bit of Jimmy Butler's heroics to escape Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets, Saturday night. It turns out that Butler was actually dared to call game prior to his game-winning shot against the Hornets.
Noah Levick of NBC Sports wrote about the Sixers' newest kid in town, including being dared by teammate JJ Redick to hit the most important shot of Saturday's game.
“He was kind of in his own little world,” Redick said, “and I just said, ‘I bet you won’t call game.’ He said, ‘Huh?’ I said, ‘I bet you won’t call game.’ And he said, ‘Bet.’ So we had a fun little moment after he hit that shot.”
If there's something that we know about Butler, it's that he won't back down from anybody, including his own teammates. The four-time All-Star did just that as he answered Redick's challenge with a booming three over the outstretched arms of Hornets' defensive ace Dwayne Bacon.
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Before that shot, Butler was quiet all game long in terms of scoring. He finished the game with just 15 points on eleven shots. Still, the Sixers wouldn't have carved out the win especially with Walker going berserk with a career-high 60 points.
Close games like this would definitely help Butler and the Sixers build up their chemistry. With just three games together, the Sixers have found themselves in pressure-packed situations.
But head coach Brett Brown and his team still have a lot of work cut out for them. The Sixers will begin a three-game homestand when they face Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
