Buddy Hield regrets passing on go-ahead 3-pointer against Warriors after arguing with coach
Buddy Hield has never met a shot he didn’t like.
So it was strange Thursday to watch the Sacramento Kings guard — after making two tough threes to keep his team in the game — pass up an open 3-point look with seconds left that would have potentially beaten the Golden State Warriors on the road. Instead, he shot a contested fadeaway over Klay Thompson that was well short, and the Kings lost 125-123.
Buddy Hield hit a deep clutch three, argued with his coach, then hesitated on the game-winner
Postgame: “I should have pulled that b—h” pic.twitter.com/S6wxchtNTw
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 22, 2019
The hesitation could have been due to an argument he had with his coach, Dave Joerger. After Hield drilled a deep 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 123-120, Joerger engaged in a heated discussion with him.
Afterward, Hield regretted his decision on the final shot.
"I shoulda pulled that b***h." pic.twitter.com/aa5uloMaYs
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 22, 2019
Even his teammate, De’Aaron Fox, thought Hield should have pulled the trigger earlier.
"I thought he was gonna shoot it. We were like 'You shoulda shot that s**t.'" pic.twitter.com/1mjXwzudWe
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 22, 2019
“You just made it,” Fox said. “You just made two of them. Shoot another three. If we miss, we go home. If we make it, we went up one.”
It’s hard to tell for sure what Joerger and Hield were arguing about, but the optics look bad for the Kings coach if he was indeed upset at Hield’s shot selection.
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard had an opinion on what occurred.
Maybe if his coach didn’t yell at him for MAKING the same shot he would have shot the mf… https://t.co/uqtT7L8yMu
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) February 22, 2019
Hield is in the midst of a breakout season with the Kings, averaging career highs in points (20.5), 3-point percentage (44.6 percent) and playing time (31.6 minutes per game). The Oklahoma star took awhile to blossom, but seems to have found his role as a sharpshooting threat in his third season in Sacramento.
He also told reporters this week that he would “bet his house” on the Kings making the playoffs this season. The Kings are currently 30-28, a game and a half behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth and final playoff spot in a competitive Western Conference, with the Los Angeles Lakers looming behind them.
Knocking off the Warriors on the road would have been a huge victory, both in the standings and psychologically for a young Kings squad that has surprised many by its performance this season.
Unfortunately, we’ll never know what might have transpired had Hield pulled the trigger for the win.
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