By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net    

BAHAMIAN National Basketball Association (NBA) pros Chavano “Buddy” Hield and Deandre Ayton have started their 2024-25 campaign on a high note.

The Golden State Warriors shooting guard and Portland Trail Blazers big man have both played pivotal roles in their respective teams winning their recent matchups on Wednesday.

Golden State has been missing the services of point guard Stephen Curry, who has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, but Hield has stepped up in a big way during his absence. 

Despite missing their star point guard, Hield helped the Warriors to improve to a 4-1 (win/loss record) on the season with their recent 104-89 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Chase Centre on Wednesday.

Hield led the team in scoring off the bench once again with 21 points, three assists and two rebounds. He shot 8-for-19 and canned four threes in 29 minutes.

In the previous game against the Pelicans, “Buddy” erupted for a team-high 28 points, one rebound and assist apiece. He caught fire from deep and knocked down 7-of-11 shots from long range and went 9-for-18 from the field.

The Grand Bahamian sharpshooter has the ultimate greenlight with the Warriors and has been letting it fly in the five games played so far. He is averaging a career-high 21.3 points per game and four rebounds while shooting 55.6 per cent on threes and 100 per cent at the charity stripe. He is currently leading the NBA in threes while only playing 23 minutes per game off the bench.

Ayton is also having a consistent start to the NBA season. In the five games played so far, the Bahamian big man has turned in five straight double-doubles. His double-double streak extended against Bahamian centre Kai Jones and the Los Angeles Clippers in the Trail Blazers’ narrow 106-105 victory on Wednesday night. 

The Portland Trail Blazers big put up 15 points and a team-high 12 boards in 34 minutes of action.

Jones had his best game of the season in the Bahamian versus Bahamian matchup. He scored seven points, pulled in five rebounds and dished out one assist. 

The athletic Bahamian big was 2-for-2 on the night. 

The two-man game between Ayton and Anfernee Simmons helped to save the day for Portland down the stretch. Ayton canned a big three pointer at the midway mark of the fourth quarter to put Portland within one (98-97). After versatile guard James Harden split a pair of freethrows, Simmons made a driving layup to tie the ball game at 99 apiece.

Harden scored a three-pointer in  the following possession but Simmons retaliated with a long range shot of his own.

Portland finally took their first lead of the fourth quarter (104-103)  at the 2:44 mark with a Simmons go-ahead layup. 

The Clippers’ Norman Powell shifted the game back in their favour with a pullup jumper but Ayton sealed the win with a hook shot to change the final score to 106-105.

Ayton is averaging 14.4 ppg and  12.2 rebounds while shooting 50.7 per cent from the field. 

And they will be playing this weekend. GSW faces the Houston Rockets on Saturday at 8pm and Portland takes on the OKC Thunder tonight at 10pm.