Will Barton caps career night, sinks Bulls with acrobatic game-winner

“Give me the ball and get out of the way.”

Not words one would expect to hear from a career 9.4 ppg scorer coming off the bench. But that’s exactly what Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton told his teammates before doing the following to cap a career night and secure a 111-110 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday:

Ok, Will. Sorry if we underestimated you.

Barton’s circus shot in traffic to win the game highlighted a career-best 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting including 6-of-9 3-pointers. He also added three steals, three assists and a pair of rebounds.

This night didn’t come out of nowhere for the six-year veteran, who’s having his best shooting season with the Nuggets. A career 33.4 percent shooter from 3-point range, he’s upped his long-distance shooting rate to 40.9 percent in 2017 while averaging a career-high 14.4 points.

His big night couldn’t have come at a better time for Denver, who lost star center Nikola Jokic to a sprained ankle in the first half. If Jokic is to miss extended time, Barton will likely see more scoring opportunities moving forward.

We’ve got our eyes on you, Will Barton.