Hield takes playful jab at ex-team Kings after Warriors’ blowout win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
First-year Warriors sharpshooter Buddy Hield couldn’t hide his smile when talking to reporters after Golden State’s 132-108 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Golden 1 Center.
Hield, of course, spent six seasons with the Kings and used to call the 916 his home, making any victory over his former employer a pleasant one. He answered respectfully and humorously when asked about beating Sacramento.
“I mean, it’s basketball, just regular,” Hield prefaced. “There’s no hard feelings toward Sacramento. This is the business of basketball, and I’m happy where I’m at. I’ve went to Indiana [Pacers], [Philadelphia 76ers] and now Golden State. I’m just happy to have a job in this league.
“So, it doesn’t faze me when I come back to Sacramento. But it’s always good to get a win here, and it’s always good not to see that beam in the sky tonight.”
The beam was, in fact, not lit after the Warriors’ 24-point victory over the Kings. And that largely was because of Hield’s performance.
The ninth-year veteran posted 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting and 5-for-8 on 3-pointers in 26 minutes off the bench. It was Hield’s first 20-point game since Dec. 8 when he scored 27 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and first at Golden 1 Center as a member of a road team.
In a December episode of “Dubs Talk” with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson, Hield expressed gratitude for everything the Kings meant to him as an up-and-comer. There remains a lot of love between the two parties.
“Sacramento was so great for me,” Hield told Johnson. “Even though we didn’t win, I feel like just being around those guys, playing and learning each and every day taught us how to win. Even though we didn’t get to win, we learned how to win and how hard it is to win in the NBA.”
With that said, Friday’s win tasted good for Hield.
