Even before the regular season began, the Golden State Warriors were on a roll. But starting with a massive, 58-point win against the Los Angeles Lakers in the final game of the preseason, Golden State has been blowing everyone out. And after the latest lopsided win, Buddy Hield, one of the team’s newest additions, praised Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
Hield came to the Warriors from the Philadelphia 76ers, to whom he was traded midseason by the Indiana Pacers. And while Hield has been on talented teams, he has never been on a team with as much championship pedigree as Golden State. The trio of Curry, Draymond Green, and head coach Steve Kerr have won four NBA titles together, and their collective mindset has made Hield think about the game differently.
“Everybody has the right intent, the right mindset, preaching togetherness, sacrificing. That’s starting from the leaders Steph and Draymond [Green], Steve [Kerr]. Everybody’s coming together as one and everyone’s putting each other first,” Hield said. “Steph is one of the most humble superstars I’ve ever been around. The way he carries himself on and off the basketball court. I just watch them and try to follow their footsteps and just look up to them… I see basketball in a different way than I did in previous teams.”
Warriors continue to roll with blowout win vs. Jazz in Utah
It was never really close Friday night in Utah. The Warriors took an eight-point lead into the second quarter and had extended that advantage to double figures by halftime. The second half proved to be especially one-sided, though, as the Warriors outscored the Jazz 71-44 in a 41-point Golden State road win.
Hield, one of the most prolific three-point shooters of all time, came off of the bench Friday and hit 7 of his 9 three-pointers and scored a game-high 27 points in just 20 minutes. That puts Hield at 75% from three-point range this season; in addition to his big night in Utah, he went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and scored 22 points in 15 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers in the season opener.
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Hield and many of the Warriors’ big-name players have not had to play much in the first two games of the season, which the team has won by an average margin of victory of 38.5 points. This is despite average-to-below-average performances from Curry, the team’s superstar, who went 4-for-13 on threes against Utah. Through the first two games, Curry has scored 17 and 20 points, respectively, and is shooting just 36.7% from the field.
Curry’s playing level and the difficulty of games will likely both increase soon, though. After a relatively light first seven games, the Warriors are set to play the Boston Celtics on Nov. 6, Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 8, Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 10, Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 12, and Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 15, the latter two games being a part of the NBA Cup’s group stage.
The Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers are set to tip off tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. PT.