Warriors provided with enormous Buddy Hield gift when least expected

With Jimmy Butler sitting on the sidelines in street clothes, the Golden State Warriors desperately needed to find another avenue of offense in Game 3 against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center on Saturday night.

Stephen Curry had 36 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in another monstrous performance from the 2x MVP, but Buddy Hield's 17 points was also vital as the Warriors claimed a 104-93 win on their home floor.

Buddy Hield provided some offense in a moment of need for the Warriors

Hield has been a source of frustration for Golden State fans over the entire season, and has continued to be over two underwhelming performances to start the playoffs. His play was hardly faultless on Saturday night, including a pair of turnovers that would had fans irate.

The first came when he tried to take Jalen Green off the dribble, only to lose control and kick the ball out of bounds. If that wasn't frustrating enough, Hield then had the ball stripped and taken away by veteran center Steven Adams in an embarrassing sequence in the fourth-quarter.

That moment undoubtedly played a role in Butler's post-game banter, with the veteran forward taking to social media after the game to thank his teammates -- except for Hield -- for taking care of business without him.

However, while the game encapsulated many of Hield's flaws -- most notably his over-dribbling at times -- the Warriors still likely wouldn't have won the game without him. The 32-year-old entered having scored just 22 points over the last four games, including just seven points on 3-of-8 shooting over the first two games of this series.

His three triples as part of 11 first-half points were important in keeping the Warriors close, particularly given they went a lengthy period struggling to score at all. He had five of Golden State's 9-0 scoring run to close the first-half, helping to reduce the margin from 12 to three while giving the hosts some momentum.

Hield added another pair of triples in the second-half, finishing 5-of-11 from 3-point range and finishing as a +14 in over 29 minutes -- the most he's played in a game since March 3 in Charlotte. Saturday's performance was just the fourth time in the last 30 games that Hield's hit at least five threes, with he and Curry combining for 10 of the team's 14 triples.

It's hard to trust that Hield will provide a game like this in the remainder of this series or playoffs in general, but nevertheless this was a gift that could prove crucial in the final outcome as the Warriors take a 2-1 series lead.