The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

It is no secret that Grand Bahamian sharpshooter Chavano “Buddy” Hield has found himself in an ideal situation with Golden State Warriors.

Since suiting up for the Warriors, Hield has emerged as one of the team’s most consistent performers and has made NBA history along the way.

He climbed up to the 20th spot on the NBA’s All-Time threes list in the Warriors’ 127-121 overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

“Buddy” came off the bench and put up a team-high 27 points, seven boards and two assists in 32 minutes. He went 9-for-14 from the field with six makes from deep.

He surpassed Lakers head coach JJ Redick for the 20th spot in the process. Additionally, he joined his teammate Stephen Curry as just the second player in NBA history to make over 30 threes in the first six games of the National Basketball Association (NBA) season.

Hield is currently averaging a career-high 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 49/50/100 shooting splits from the field. His efficient shooting from deep is remarkable as he is attempting 9.6 shots from long range per game. 

The Warriors had all the momentum of their side from the opening tip to outscore the Rockets 38-20 by the end of the first. 

The Grand Bahamian three-point marksman made a two off an assist from Lindy Waters III to give the Warriors a 48-26 edge at the 9:03 mark of the second quarter.

Golden State headed into the second half on top 71-43 after two dominant quarters to start the game.

While the Warriors offence stalled a bit in the third period, the Rockets applied some pressure to shave the margin down to 96-80 at the end of the third period.

The Rockets cracked open the last quarter of regulation with an unanswered 13-0 run. They then trimmed the deficit down to just 1 (97-96) after Jabari Smith Jr made a deep three at the 8:02 mark.

After trailing by as much as 31 points, the Rockets took their first lead of the contest 102-101 at the 5:54 mark.

With the score at 119-117, Draymond Green committed a personal foul against Tari Eason of the Rockets. He stepped up and made the two freebies to force OT.

The Rockets ran out of gas in the extra period of play and got outscored 8-2.

The Warriors now have a 5-1 win/loss record to position them at third seed in the Western Conference.

The team has now won their last three games without the services of Curry, who is missing with a peroneal strain in his left ankle.

The Warriors will prepare to take on the Washington Wizards tonight at 7:15pm in the Capital One Arena in Washington DC.