SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors entered Monday night 12-1 when Buddy Hield scores at least 18 points. When the volatile 3-point marksman is on, Golden State is hard to beat.
When both Hield and Gary Payton II exceed 20 points? They’re world-beaters.
Hield had his best game since the opening weeks of the season, dropping 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting (six 3s) while adding seven assists. Meanwhile, a running hook shot late in the fourth quarter gave Payton a career-high of 26 points, exceeding his previous best set on the last day of the 2017-18 season with the Lakers.
Despite a scare in the third quarter, the Warriors (37-28) stiff-armed a young Portland squad that has surprised opponents in the second half. The 130-120 win gives Golden State 10 victories in its last 11 games.
Jimmy Butler logged his 18th career triple double, pushing the Warriors’ record to 12-1 with him in the lineup. Steph Curry (24 points on 5-for-11 from 3) inched within two 3-pointers of the unprecedented 4,000 mark. The Warriors shot 21-for-41 from deep overall, overcoming Deni Avdija’s efficient 34-point night.
The Warriors made six of their first eight 3-pointers against a feisty Portland defense, but the Blazers hung around by slicing to the basket.
Three blocks from Quinten Post — starting in place of Brandin Podziemski — helped clean up some breaches on the perimeter.
Golden State scored 35 points in the first quarter but only led by eight. The Blazers’ defense ranks sixth in the league over the past 15 games, spearheaded by head coach Chauncy Billups and rangy wings like Avdija, Toumani Camara, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.
But the Warriors’ 3s kept falling, and they stretched their lead even as Curry sat. Buddy Hield hit three, Gary Payton II added four more, and Moses Moody drained a relocation trey off precise ball and player movement.