Butler Puts Up 28, 17 and 12 for 1st Career Triple-Double

Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler had 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists in Saturday's 94-90 loss to the Detroit Pistons, earning the first triple-double of his five-year NBA career, per ESPN Stats & Info.

With fellow guard Derrick Rose sidelined by an elbow issue, Butler had to carry an injury-marred Bulls team that badly needed a victory in Saturday's game against a Pistons squad that is also competing for one of the final two spots in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Though it wasn't enough to earn a victory, Butler posted a gaudy stat line that also included three steals, two blocks and three turnovers.

However, he wasn't particularly efficient with his shots, making just 10 of his 25 field-goal attempts, one of his seven three-point attempts and seven of his eight free throws.

The larger issue was that Butler didn't have much help, with starting center Pau Gasol (16 points) and reserve guard Aaron Brooks (14 points) the only other Bulls to reach double-digit scoring.

Now sitting at 38-38, the Bulls are 2.5 games behind Detroit (41-36) for the No. 7 seed and two games behind the Indiana Pacers (40-36) for the No. 8 seed.

Following Saturday's games, ESPN's Basketball Power Index projects that the Bulls only have a 10.8 percent chance to make the playoffs, whereas the Pistons (92.7 percent) and Pacers (91.5) are in excellent shape. The 37-39 Washington Wizards (5.0) also have an outside shot to claim one of the final two spots.