CHICAGO _ Schools were closed. Offices allowed employees to work from home. Friday had that "snow day" vibe to it throughout the Chicago area, even extending to the NBA.
Both the Timberwolves and Bulls canceled their morning shootaround because of the weather.
But instead of playing, Jimmy Butler did what he always does: He went to work.
Four hours before the Bulls snapped a seven-game losing streak when they rallied from a 17-point deficit for a 114-113 victory in a late tipoff at United Center, a familiar and unfamiliar sight unfolded at the same time. Butler arrived early to get up extra shots, but this time he wore a Timberwolves jersey in his first trip back since the Bulls traded him last June.
"Jimmy is a fierce competitor," Timberwolves and former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The thing that makes him so special is everyone is trying to make this into something bigger than it is. Anytime you do go back, it does mean something. But what makes Jimmy so special is he treats every game that way. He plays every game like it's his last."
So did the Bulls, who got 35 points from Zach LaVine, including three free throws with 18.4 seconds left after Butler fouled him on a 3-point attempt. LaVine, who scored 15 in the fourth in a shootout with Butler, matched his career-best streak of four straight games with 20 or more.
The appreciative crowd greeted both Butler and Taj Gibson _ also in his first trip back since last February's trade to the Thunder _ with several ovations. Following the loudest, a standing ovation after a video tribute to both players aired, both Butler and Gibson acknowledged the crowd.
But Butler is always, ultimately, about business. That's why he scored 13 of his 38 points in the fourth, although he missed his game-winning attempt at the buzzer.
Thibodeau knew Butler would be the perfect addition to a young mix featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins that is trying to end a 13-year playoff drought.
"He has just changed everything," Thibodeau said. "What he did (with the Bulls) was phenomenal to grow the way he did. I was away from him for two years but just seeing the growth in him in terms of leadership, in many ways it reminds me of the way Luol (Deng) was with him. He has done a great job with our younger guys. For Kat (Towns) and Wig, they're going through the things that Jimmy just went through. He learned a lot from that experience and is sharing that with these guys."
Butler, who also had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals, now has scored 20 or more points in 10 straight games and posted his third straight 30-point game for the first time in his career.
Jerian Grant (14 points, 11 assists) missed a triple double by two rebounds. Lauri Markkanen, back from missing three games for paternity leave, added 12 points but only had seven shots.
The Timberwolves did their best to downplay the emotional aspect to the game, though Butler declined to speak with the media beforehand. Thibodeau, in his second trip back, said "they all count the same."
But Butler badly wanted to remain with the Bulls and, though he mostly took the high road publicly, was stung by the trade. In a phone interview last summer the day after the trade, Butler admitted as much.
"They weren't convinced I was good enough _ whatever you want to call it," Butler said while vacationing in Paris.
Gibson tried to downplay what the game meant to him and Butler.
"It's not anything personal," he said. "We had some great times here. We just moved on. We're having a great situation in Minnesota ... . We can't afford to worry about any animosity."
