On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason clash that had more buzz to it than usual. The stars of both teams (Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis) were all active for the night, which should provide some major entertainment for fans regardless of rooting interest. But for the players themselves, defending players of that caliber is rarely fun — which was evident in the way Buddy Hield reacted to a bonkers shot from James.
With the shot clock winding down with a little over a minute to go in the first half, James looked to bail out a Lakers offense that was going nowhere by drawing a foul on Buddy Hield, who was closing out hard on his jumpshot. The Warriors guard, however, avoided any contact with James whatsoever. This forced James to double-clutch his shot, making the attempt very difficult. But James makes even the impossible look easy, as he banked home the triple.
At this point, no one should be surprised at what James is capable of on a basketball court. But for Hield, he was downright perplexed, as seen in his facial expression, by how the Lakers star continues to dazzle despite turning 40 years old in two months.
James is truly capable of feats on the basketball court that would make fans’ jaws drop. But to elicit that kind of a reaction from Hield, a professional basketball player who is more desensitized to these incredible shots? That simply means that the Lakers star operates on a different level. His longevity is unparalleled.
In the end, it was Hield and the Warriors that got the last laugh in preseason action, taking a 111-97 win. This was the case even though Curry did not have the best of nights from the field (6-18 for 16 points). Meanwhile, James only played 23 minutes on the night as he and the Lakers ramp up for regular season action.
The Warriors have one more preseason game to go before the regular-season begins, and they will be ending their exhibition season with another game against the Lakers.
Buddy Hield lets it fly for the Warriors in preseason
When the Warriors lost Klay Thompson, it didn’t take long for them to bring in someone who could help replace the three-point void that was left behind. Buddy Hield is the rare player who can say that his three-point production rivals that of Thompson’s and even Stephen Curry’s, and during preseason, he has shown how explosive of a marksman he can be.
Entering Tuesday night, Hield has shot 13-22 from beyond the arc in four preseason games. His movement off the ball makes him a perfect fit for the Warriors’ system, and the attention he commands from the perimeter will surely cause headaches for the opposition.
Now, during the Warriors’ preseason win over the Lakers, Hield’s shot was off; he made just two of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. But Hield is showing that the Warriors got themselves a legitimate flamethrower who can torch the nets alongside Curry.
Leave a Reply