DALLAS – In four games leading to Friday's game against the Mavericks, Timberwolves star guard Jimmy Butler shot 18-for-54 from the field, including Wednesday's 2-for-13, six-point game in a victory over San Antonio.
Friday, Butler said he isn't worried in the least.
Neither is Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau.
"It happens," Butler said before the game. "It probably won't be the last time it happens this year. I've put in entirely too much work to worry about my shot falling. As long as we're winning, I really don't have a problem with it. I know eventually I will have games where I can't miss. I'm just waiting for that to happen. I've been in this league long enough to know that stuff happens."
He then scored 21 points on 8-for-19 shooting in a 111-87 victory over Dallas. "It's going to come," he said afterward. "As soon as I get a rhythm and get to rolling, I'll be just fine. But all in all, it was a win, no matter what."
Butler averaged 20 points a game in his last four road games before Friday's. He made 14 free throws in one of those games, nine in another while his shots from the field flattened. Butler is third on the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game, behind Karl-Anthony Towns' 21.1 and Andrew Wiggins' 18.9.
"Every player goes through ups and downs in the course of a season," Thibodeau said. "The thing about Jimmy is, he can play great without shooting well. He can score in a lot of different ways. He can beat you with the pass. He can run the floor. He's going to command a lot of attention, which will open other things up."
Playing with pain
His streak of consecutive games played done at 175 when he sat out Saturday at Phoenix, Wolves center Gorgui Dieng returned Friday after missing three games because of a sprained index finger on his shooting hand. He said a bone chipped in his hand when Golden State's Nick Young hit it last week.
