Subscribe
Follow Us
The Golden State Warriors came up with a clutch 109-106 win over the Houston Rockets to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round series, and Buddy Hield played a key role in the win, including on the defensive end of the floor, which drew a bit of a playful shot from head coach Steve Kerr after the game.
“I'm gonna utter some words that have never been spoken by anybody on earth: Buddy Hield, you set the tone defensively,” Steve Kerr said, according to Courtside Buzz.
Hield is obviously known for his shooting ability and not his defensive prowess. Perhaps this was a bit of encouragement from Kerr to try to get more of these types of performances out of Hield moving forward in the playoffs.
In the win for the Warriors, Hield had 15 points with two steals in 30 minutes of play, providing the team with just enough of a boost to get the win.
Jimmy Butler III led the way for the Warriors, scoring 27 points, including some clutch plays down the stretch to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. Brandin Podziemski turned in a good performance as well, scoring 26 points on 9-18 shooting. Stephen Curry scored 17 as well, while Quinten Post contributed 13 points off the bench.
The Warriors now have a stranglehold on the series, leading 3-1. They will try to close out the series on the road in Game 5 on Wednesday. A potential Game 6 will take place on Friday, and a Game 7 would take place on Sunday. Of course, the Warriors are hoping to end the series on Wednesday.
It will be interesting to see if the Warriors are able to close out this series by continuing to take advantage of the Rockets' offensive flaws. In crunch time, the advantage has been for the Warriors, and they hope that continues.
