SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors entered Monday night time 12-1 when Buddy Hield scores at the least 18 factors. When the unstable 3-point marksman is on, Golden State is difficult to beat.
When each Hield and Gary Payton II exceed 20 factors? They’re world-beaters.
Hield had his finest recreation for the reason that opening weeks of the season, dropping 20 factors on 7-for-10 capturing (six 3s) whereas including seven assists. In the meantime, a working hook shot late within the fourth quarter gave Payton a career-high of 26 factors, exceeding his earlier finest set on the final day of the 2017-18 season with the Lakers.
Regardless of a scare within the third quarter, the Warriors (37-28) stiff-armed a younger Portland squad that has shocked opponents within the second half. The 130-120 win provides Golden State 10 victories in its final 11 video games.
“Buddy was great,” head coach Steve Kerr stated postgame. “Moses (Moody) was great. Gary. We got so many contributions from these guys. It was an all-around effort. I feel like when we knock down a bunch of 3s from guys other than Steph, we’re going to be really hard to beat…Ten combined from Gary and Buddy, that doesn’t happen very often so we’ve got to embrace it when it does.”
Golden State Warriors’ Buddy Hield #7 steals the ball from Portland Path Blazers’ Anfernee Simons #1 within the third quarter of their NBA recreation on the Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, March 10, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
Jimmy Butler logged his 18th profession triple double, pushing the Warriors’ document to 12-1 with him within the lineup. Steph Curry (24 factors on 5-for-11 from 3) inched inside two 3-pointers of the unprecedented 4,000 mark and Moses Moody added 20. The Warriors shot 21-for-41 from deep total, overcoming Deni Avdija’s environment friendly 34-point night time.
“I like playing with Jimmy,” Payton stated postgame. “Jimmy’s fun to play with.”
The Warriors made six of their first eight 3-pointers towards a feisty Portland protection, however the Blazers hung round by slicing to the basket.
Three blocks from Quinten Publish — beginning instead of Brandin Podziemski — helped clear up some breaches on the perimeter.
Golden State scored 35 factors within the first quarter however solely led by eight. The Blazers’ protection ranks sixth within the league over the previous 15 video games, spearheaded by head coach Chauncy Billups and rangy wings like Avdija, Toumani Camara, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.
However the Warriors’ 3s saved falling, and so they stretched their lead at the same time as Curry sat. Hield hit three, Payton chipped in 4 extra — making the most of his defenders sagging off of him — and Moody drained a relocation trey off exact ball and participant motion.
Golden State Warriors’ Gary Payton II #0 loses management of the ball within the second quarter of their NBA recreation towards the Portland Path Blazers on the Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, March 10, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
Threes are higher than twos, because the Warriors have recognized in addition to anybody for the previous 16 seasons with Curry.
Payton’s 4 3s within the first half matched his profession excessive; his 16 factors off the bench helped the Warriors enter halftime with a 68-49 lead. At that time, the Warriors shot 12-for-21 from behind the arc. Portland was 5-for-18.
Even 19-point leads aren’t all the time protected within the trendy NBA.
Portland began the second half on a 19-7 run, inching inside eight because the Warriors abruptly went chilly. Portland drove previous Golden State’s preliminary degree of protection constantly and kicked out for outdoor pictures, night out the 3-point discrepancy. Again-to-back buckets from Moody — thriving in his position as a hustle glue man — didn’t quell the tide.
Avdija drilled a 3 to chop Golden State’s result in six. Then Curry sprung unfastened in transition and stopped on a dime to make use of Scoot Henderson’s momentum towards him for a momentum-stopping third 3 of the night time.
After Payton’s seventh subject objective of the sport, Hield picked Anfernee Simons’ pocket and dribbled right into a 3 on the opposite finish. Curry added one other 3 as two Blazers haphazardly closed out to Gui Santos within the nook, leaving him huge open.
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry #30 shoots a 3-point basket over Portland Path Blazers’ Donovan Clingan #23in the fourth quarter of their NBA recreation on the Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, March 10, 2025. Curry made 5 of 11 3-point baskets, simply two wanting hitting 4,000 profession threes. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
With three minutes left within the third quarter and the Blazers nonetheless refusing to concede, Curry launched an off-balanced 27 footer over two defenders. It was the type of shot solely he’d even dare to take, not to mention sink.
Hield and Payton every crossed the 20-point mark early within the fourth, with Payton slamming dwelling an alley-oop to deliver the Chase Heart crowd to its ft. Similar to that, the bench put the sport away in three minutes with Curry resting.
In Golden State’s present scorching streak, they’ve gained a number of video games they in all probability would’ve misplaced earlier within the season, earlier than Butler arrived. This may increasingly have been a backbreaking one, the kind of loss that depletes a workforce.
As a substitute, the Warriors maintain rolling.
“I’m glad that I have the opportunity to be a part of the winning that we’re doing here,” Butler stated. “Just playing some incredible basketball. Playing together on both sides of the floor, it’s really fun.”
Initially Printed: March 10, 2025 at 9:23 PM PDT
