BUDDY Hield stepped up when it mattered the most, leading Golden State Warriors to a 103-89 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference first round series on Sunday night (Monday morning in the Philippines) at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The “Splash Buddy” scored a team-high 33 points, including nine three-pointers, along with three rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, securing the best-of-seven series for the Warriors at 4-3.
Stephen Curry rebounded from a slow start to contribute 22 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green added 20 and 16 points, respectively, for the Warriors.
As Curry faced defensive pressure in the first half, Hield took charge of the Warriors’ offense, scoring 22 points in the first two quarters to give the team a 51-39 lead at halftime.
The Rockets responded in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to 63-60, but the Warriors extended their lead again to 70-62 with a three-pointer from Butler and two baskets from Green.
Curry found his rhythm in the fourth quarter, helping the Warriors increase their lead to 94-74. Although the Rockets attempted to close the gap to ten points, Hield sealed the victory with another three-pointer, bringing the score to 103-86.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 24 points, Alperen Sengun recorded a double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds, Fred VanVleet added 17 points, while Filipino-American guard Jalen Green misfired with eight points.
Meanwhile, Andrew Nembhard scored 23 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points, 13 assists and three blocked shots as Indiana Pacers pulled away for a 121-112 road win over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith each scored 17 points, and Myles Turner had 13 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks for fourth-seeded Indiana, which handed the Cavaliers their first loss of the postseason.
Donovan Mitchell tallied 33 points for the Cavs, but shot just 13 of 30 from the field and 1 of 11 on 3-point attempts, while Ty Jerome and Evan Mobley had 21 and 20 points, respectively./PN
BOX SCORE:
GOLDEN STATE 103 — Hield 33, Curry 22, Butler 20, Green 16, Podziemski 9, Looney 3, Kuminga 0, Moody 0, Post 0, Santos 0, Jackson-Davis 0, Spencer 0.
HOUSTON 89 — Thompson 24, Sengun 21, VanVleet 17, Brooks 8, Green 8, Eason 5, Adams 3, Smith 3.
Quarterscores: 23-19, 51-39, 70-62, 103-89.
