Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle
In a world without Jimmy Butler in uniform, and with Houston swarming Stephen Curry every time he touched the basketball, the Golden State Warriors desperately needed a secondary scorer Saturday.
They found two of them in unexpected places.
Jonathan Kuminga counted as the most logical candidate, retrieved from oblivion and thrust into the starting lineup in Butler’s place. But Kuminga played tentatively, struggled to reach the rim (a jarring sight) and did not step on the court in the fourth quarter.
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Into the void stepped Buddy Hield, the easygoing veteran whose one standout skill, long-range shooting, carries huge value in the modern NBA. Hield made five 3-point shots and scored 17 points to help push the Warriors to a 104-93 win over the Rockets at Chase Center.
His partner in production was Gary Payton II, known mostly for his defensive ability but providing much more in Game 3 of this first-round series. Payton showed his expertise while playing alongside Curry, exploiting Houston’s defensive strategy to his own benefit, scoring a playoff career-high 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
Hield and Payton fueled a 42-28 scoring advantage for Golden State’s bench. That was more than enough support for Curry, who ultimately shook free to pour home 36 points of his own as the Warriors seized a 2-1 series advantage.
This was fresh terrain for Hield, in his ninth year in the league but participating in only his seventh career playoff game. The Warriors signed him in free agency last summer because of his 3-point shooting, when it became clear Klay Thompson would depart.
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Hield exasperates his coaches and teammates at times – he doesn’t play much defense and struggles with ball-handling – but he just keeps shooting and shooting and shooting. That’s what the Warriors need alongside Curry, and exactly what they needed Sunday with the Rockets selling out to try to slow down No. 30.
“They really committed to Steph. They probably blitzed him more tonight than the first two games combined,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “So that was one reason Buddy played 29 minutes; if they’re blitzing Steph, we’ve got to have shooting out there.
“Buddy is fearless – he loves the game, he loves to shoot and he doesn’t stop to think about it too much. He just lets it rip, and I love it.”
Hield is popular in the locker room, given his upbeat demeanor and laid-back Caribbean vibe (he grew up in the Bahamas). Kerr occasionally chides him, as he did this month while playfully “introducing” him to Curry during a timeout in Phoenix, as a way to remind Hield to pass the ball to Curry when he’s open.
On Sunday, Hield was often the one open, which explains his 11 attempts beyond the arc. He even pitched in on defense (making three steals), though he also unwisely dribbled too much on one play and got picked clean by lumbering Rockets center Steven Adams.
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Shortly thereafter, one video circulating on social media caught Butler counseling Hield on the bench, while mimicking a dribbling motion. It didn’t require a sixth sense to assume Butler was gently suggesting Hield dribble less.
In character, Hield shrugged off the indignity of the Adams steal.
“Robin was out tonight, so I had to step up,” he said, referencing Butler’s line about playing the role of Robin to Curry’s Batman. “I know Jimmy is out and I know what’s at stake. … You can’t be shy when the opportunity comes. You have to fire away and be free.”
Hield had played in only four playoff games before this season, all in 2024 with Philadelphia. He scored 20 points for the Sixers in Game 6 of their first-round series against New York, when the Knicks eliminated them.
As for Payton, he keeps showing up in big moments for the Warriors. He scored 12 points in the play-in victory over Memphis on April 15, helping send them into this series against Houston.
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On Saturday, Payton almost personally tilted the game in Golden State’s favor. He scored nine consecutive points during one stretch late in the fourth quarter, turning an 84-83 deficit into a 92-86 lead.
Payton scored three times on passes from Curry – cutting layup, driving reverse layup, open 3-pointer – and once on a pass from Brandin Podziemski (on a cutting dunk). The sequence illustrated Payton’s sharp instincts, knowing how to make opponents pay for hyper-focusing on Curry.
Another notable play during this stretch happened when Houston’s Dillon Brooks set a screen on the perimeter. Payton plowed over Brooks in what looked like an open-field football block, earning the foul.
If you forgot about the 2022 Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooks broke Payton’s elbow by knocking him to the court while he was in midair. Asked about Saturday’s collision, Payton said simply, “I didn’t see him.”
Then he smiled and arched his eyebrow. Oh, he saw him.
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“He’s a great finisher around the basket, and knocking down his 3’s tonight was big,” Draymond Green said of Payton. “When you’re getting that type of two-way basketball from G, it really lifts this team.”
Payton’s effort included two three-pointers – he and Hield combined to make 7 of 14 long-range shots. That was even more important because so many Warriors players struggled from deep: Podziemski and Moody were collectively 2-for-11 and Draymond Green and Quinten Post were 0-for-7.
Post helped on the boards, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.
