Stephen Curry inserted the dagger with 2:55 to play and Buddy Hield twisted it within the hearts of the Houston Rockets on the subsequent possession.
After three tries and a hard-fought Sport 7, the Warriors are shifting on, and whereas that grew to become clear when Curry sank a step-back 3 to place them up by 17, it was solely becoming that Hield was the one who put a bow on the 103-89 win Sunday night time.
The nook 3 to increase the result in 20 was Hield’s eighth of the night time, and he would add yet one more earlier than time expired to complete with a team-best 33 factors on 9-of-11 taking pictures from distance.
“That’s what the game called for and he answered it,” Curry stated.
“And if I didn’t throw him a grenade, he would have been 9 for 10,” added Draymond Inexperienced. “He made winning plays all night.”
True, Hield logged a season-high 37 minutes, took on defensive assignments towards Fred VanVleet and Jalen Inexperienced and didn’t cease making 3s after halftime.
However within the first Sport 7 of his profession, Hield will likely be most remembered for his first half.
The Warriors entered the locker room up 51-39, largely due to 22 factors from a red-hot Hield. With the Rockets efficiently stifling Batman (Curry) and Robin (Jimmy Butler III), Alfred knocked down six of his seven 3-point makes an attempt earlier than intermission.
“Buddy getting hot changed the whole game in the first half,” coach Steve Kerr stated.
It’s unimaginable to know the place the Warriors can be with out Hield’s lights-out show within the first half, however Kerr stated he “never wavered” over retaining him within the beginning 5.
The taking pictures bonanza got here only one sport after Hield was held scoreless whereas lacking all 4 of his makes an attempt from the sector in a Sport 6 loss. He scored 4 factors in Sport 5 and mixed for seven — with one 3-pointer — within the first two video games of the sequence.
His finest sport to this point got here off the bench, when he scored 17 in Sport 3 and satisfied Kerr to insert him into the beginning lineup for Sport 4. That mixture — alongside Curry, Butler, Inexperienced and Brandin Podziemski — Kerr stated, was “by far our best five-man unit of the series.”
Speaking to Kevon Looney on the bench, Hield remarked on his spot within the beginning lineup.
“Like, man, I’m so glad I’m starting tonight. I don’t know how it would’ve been coming off the bench because coming off the bench in a Game 7 would have been really hard,” Hield stated. “So just starting and getting the jitters out. It’s a childhood dream. We all talk about Game 7, we all want to play in Game 7. But actually playing in a Game 7 and getting prepared for it, it’s one of the hardest things ever.”
That is Hield’s ninth season within the NBA however solely his second style of the playoffs. He was eradicated in 4 video games with the Philadelphia 76ers final spring.
His first Sport 7 wasn’t only one to recollect, however one for the file books. His 9 3-pointers tied Donte DiVincenzo (with the Knicks final Could) for probably the most in any Sport 7 in postseason historical past, whereas his 33 factors had been probably the most by any participant held scoreless the earlier sport.
But, his taking pictures wasn’t all his teammates cared to speak about. Hield helped comprise VanVleet to simply 3-of-6 from past the arc and Jalen Inexperienced to eight factors whole.
“This was not just a lights-out shooting performance from Buddy; it was a two-way performance,” Kerr stated. “I thought his defense was fantastic.”
“The 33 points were great, nine 3s — incredible,” Inexperienced added. “But what he did on the defensive end was even more impressive.”
“He’s a tough cover, for sure, when he’s making shots, but he made so many right plays on the defensive side of the ball, getting the ball where it needed to go,” Butler stated, paying his pal a uncommon praise. “Buddy was really, really, really big for us tonight.”
The Bahamian’s easy-going character has been a supply of levity within the locker room, particularly since Butler’s arrival, however he proved he was locked in for a very powerful sport of his profession. Sound acquainted?
If there was such a factor as Sport 6 Klay, may there be Sport 7 Buddy?
“To have that shooter’s confidence that the game says shoot and let it fly and we’ll live with it. I’m happy for him because he works so hard all year,” Curry stated. “Getting to know him this season, you see how much basketball means to him and knowing this is only his second playoff run, to have a game like that in a Game 7 … it’s pretty special.”
Initially Printed: Could 4, 2025 at 11:17 PM PDT
