Buddy Hield has set the Utah Jazz and social media alight with another remarkable shooting display in the Golden State Warriors second consecutive blowout victory on Friday night.
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After leading the Warriors with a team-high 22 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Hield remained scorching hot with six first-half threes on his way to 27 points in his team's 127-86 win.
Buddy Hield set new records in the Warriors dominant win in Utah
The 31-year-old's seven threes broke a franchise record for most triples over the first two games, with Hield's 7-of-9 against the Jazz giving him 12 threes in just 16 attempts to open the season. In the process he also jumped into 21st all-time in made threes in NBA history.
The veteran sharpshooter wasn't just on fire from beyond the arc though, having been active defensively while also adding four rebounds and a game-high six assists in the 41-point victory.
Golden State's starters again began the game slow as Utah jumped out to a 19-11 lead. It was all Warriors from then on, with the deep bench unit quickly turning the momentum with a 21-5 run to close the opening period.
Both teams struggled offensively in a tough second-quarter until a Hield barrage helped Golden State go in with a 56-42 lead. The starters were much improved to begin the third-quarter, putting the game beyond doubt as the Warriors jumped out to a 28-point lead less than five minutes into the period.
The blowout again allowed Steve Kerr to rest his main guys in the fourth-quarter, with no Warrior player seeing more than Stephen Curry's 27 minutes. The 2x MVP finished with 20 points, three rebounds and four assists, but there's still room for improvement given Curry shot just 4-of-13 from three-point range.
Another six Golden State players tallied double digits in scoring, with Brandin Podziemski going for 15 points and Moses Moody 12 off the bench. Andrew Wiggins was active on the glass, recording a career-high 10 first-half rebounds and stuffing the box score to finish with 10 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in only 23 minutes.
Trayce Jackson-Davis still hasn't missed a field-goal this season, finishing one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine boards in 17 minutes. The Warriors needed little from Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga who each played less than 20 minutes and combined for just five points.
Golden State replicated Wednesday's performance with another 20 threes as they shot 48.1% from the field overall, while on the other end they strangled a Utah offense that had posted 124 points against the Memphis Grizzlies in their season opener.
Jazz star Lauri Markkanen was kept to only 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting and 1-of-5 from three-point range, with the hosts shooting 31.5% as a team and 21.4% from three-point range.
The Warriors have now won their first two games by a combined 77 points, but should face a sterner challenge in their home opener against the L.A Clippers on Sunday.
