SALT LAKE CITY — The rims at the Delta Center are regulation sized, just like they are at all 30 NBA arenas.
But any rim looks enormous for Buddy Hield right now.
Hield, who led the Warriors in scoring in their season-opening win against Portland, couldn’t miss against the Jazz. Through two games, he looks like the best version of a Klay Thompson replacement anyone within the organization could have dreamed of.
“He brings so much energy to the floor,” head coach Steve Kerr said of Hield. “Part of it is the way he plays, seeking those 3s and sprinting the floor. He runs so hard, both directions. Sets the tone for us.”
Hield finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting (including seven 3s) in just 20 minutes off the bench. The guard also added six assists, four rebounds and a steal. He has scored 49 points in 35 minutes as a Warrior, going 12-for-13 from behind the arc to key two blowout victories to start the season.
Behind Hield’s outburst, the Warriors (2-0) smothered Utah, 127-86, with relentless defense and rebounding. Andrew Wiggins chipped in a career-high 13 boards and the Warriors limited the Jazz to 32% shooting. Golden State forced live-ball turnovers, caused several tie-ups, applied full-court ball pressure at times, grinded the Jazz into aimless possessions.
“I think the overall athleticism of this team stands out to me,” Kerr said. “We didn’t have that last year. On-ball pressure. Adding De’Anthony and obviously a healthy Gary. But Wiggs and JK are both big and athletic. Kyle’s an incredible defender…up and down the roster, we’ve got great defenders.”
The Warriors’ margin of victory through two games is the biggest in NBA history. Their bench has scored 150 combined points, including 80 on Friday, which is also a first for any team in its first two contests.
The Warriors stuck with their starting lineup of Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis, expecting to give that unit some runway to start the season. It struggled in the first game against Portland, and again stumbled from the tipoff.
Against the Blazers, the Warriors starters fell behind 12-3. Against Utah, they quickly went down 13-6 before Steve Kerr substituted Gary Payton II in for Jackson-Davis. The spacing concerns that particular unit has once again came to fruition.
But the Warriors’ bench, expected to be its strength, picked up the slack for a second straight game. They’ve now scored 150 bench points through two contests, including 80 on Friday night.
Payton helped key a 14-2 run with a pair of steals and by forcing a jump ball. Buddy Hield drilled two 3-pointers, Curry added another and Golden State turned defense into fast breaks.
As all 12 Warriors touched the court in the first quarter, Golden State extended its run to 21-5 to close the period and take a 32-24 lead. An intensified defensive and rebounding effort limited Utah to two made field goals in over five minutes.
“We knew Markkanen was going to be a huge key for us,” center Trayce Jackson-Davis said postgame. “I think (Green) really set the tone with physicality on him. We just followed, tried to stay in the gaps. Closed on a few guys, got them out of rhythm — like (Jordan) Clarkson.”
Then Hield took over, scoring or assisting on the last seven Warriors buckets of the half.
Hield dropped 16 in the second quarter alone, registering 24 points in his first 14 minutes. He leaked out on fast breaks, spaced the floor, and was money from anywhere around the arc. At half, he was 9-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from deep.
Despite leading the league in 3-point makes over the last five seasons, Hield has bounced around. But the Warriors’ system is perfect for him. He’d admired Golden State’s system from afar for years, and has said he “studied the hell” out of Curry. After the opener, he said this is the freest it felt since he starred at Oklahoma.
He’s not the superstar he was in college, but for stretches — like in the second period — everything can orbit around him just like when he was a Sooner.
Hield’s inferno put the Warriors up 56-42 at halftime, and they wouldn’t relinquish the advantage. The same lineup that started the game slow blitzed Utah for a 13-3 run to start the second half. Similar to the opener, the group was much better at turning defense into offense and Curry found a rhythm offensively.
“I think what you’ll start to see is we’ll be able to settle in more offensively,” Green said postgame. “We’re coming out in that first quarter and everybody’s just trying to go, go, go. Because we want that lineup to do well so bad. And so everybody’s kind of coming out pressing. Then once we settle down, that lineup takes over. Our size, our athleticism, we’re attacking the rim, getting kickout 3s.”
When Hield checked back in, Golden State staked a 24-point lead. He quickly added two assists — one that capped a gorgeous possession and an extra pass to Brandin Podziemski for 3. Like Thompson for years, the threat of Hield’s shooting bended Utah’s defensive shell. Hield’s fifth assist of the game was a left-handed swing to Curry on the wing for another triple.
That’s a pass Hield has worked on his entire life, he said, and one he got scolded for attempting while growing up in the Bahamas. But now, after years of honing the movement and building strength, he can execute it.
“I got it from watching (Curry), low key,” Hield said.
Hield’s seventh trey of the game gave the Warriors a 94-67 lead. Golden State was just being cruel by that point. It was Hield’s 12th 3-pointer in his first two games — an NBA record for a player with a new team.
The Warriors’ cumulative margin of victory through two games this season is now 77.
With a true 12-man rotation, Golden State wore down its opponent once again. The Blazers and Jazz aren’t threats to make the postseason this season, but the Warriors easily handled each. The true tests are yet to come, but it’d be hard to draw up a more encouraging start to the season than the Warriors’ two victories.
“We couldn’t have imagined this,” Kerr said. “Winning two road games in the manner we did, the guys defending the way they did, the energy, the connection, supporting each other. Nobody really playing that many minutes but everybody kind of fueling each other. It’s fun to watch.”
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