What we learned from Hield's historic start fuels the Warriors' win over the Jazz

What we learned as Hield's historic start fuels Warriors' win over Jazz originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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The Warriors are taking the NBA by storm.

At least the teams working in Portland and Utah.

Golden State suffered its second straight road blowout with a 127-86 win over the Jazz at the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City on Friday night.

The Warriors outscored their opponents 267-190 in their two season-opening victories. Their 77-point lead is the largest in NBA history in a team's first two games.

Buddy Hield led the team in scoring for the second straight year, finishing the game with 27 points. Stephen Curry totaled 20, Brandin Podziemski 15 and Trayce Jackson-Davis 12. Andrew Wiggins scored just eight points but grabbed a game- and career-high 13 rebounds.

Here are three takeaways from a game that was never in doubt after the first quarter:

Buddy bombs

Hield has been a Warrior for eight games, including six in the preseason. He shoots an incredible 31 of 55 (53.4 percent) from distance. Incredible. And there is no sign of him cooling down.

Coming off the bench for the second straight game, Hield immediately lit up the Jazz, scoring 24 points on 9 of 11 shooting, including 6 of 7 from long range, in 14 first-half minutes.

Hield scored 27 points on 10 of 14 shooting from the field, including 7 of 9 from long range. In two games, he has scored 49 points in 35 minutes, shooting 18 of 26 overall and 12 of 16 from beyond the arc.

Not sustainable, right?

After the opening night win in Portland, Hield said he hasn't felt this free on offense since leaving the University of Oklahoma eight years ago. As a senior, he shot 45.7 percent from deep.

That kind of accuracy is unlikely in today's NBA, but anything even close to that level will have Golden State's front office dancing in the streets.

Bench lights the fire again

For the second straight game, Golden State's starting lineup fell behind early, trailing by eight within the first three minutes. It took me another few minutes to find anything even remotely resembling a rhythm.

It also took a push from the bench corps, who came in hot, played fast, made shots and even set some traps on defense.

Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney and Podziemski and Hield were the key players, closing the first quarter with a 21-5 run in the final five minutes. That was enough to change the temperature in the building.

Two nights after outscoring the Trail Blazers 71-37 in Portland, the Warriors bench took an 80-49 lead over the Jazz reserves. In addition to Hield and Podziemski, Moses Moody also scored double figures with 12 points.

Coach Steve Kerr's concept of using his entire active squad was once again a complete success. While 14 players took part on the opening night, 14 were used this evening.

A tray of perfection

Trayce Jackson-Davis, who started 16 games as a rookie last season, has started the first two games this season and, well, things are going extremely well for the Warriors.

For Jackson-Davis, however, things are even better.

After scoring 14 points and shooting 5 of 5 from the field in the opener, he came back with 12 points on 6 of 6 shooting that night. His 11 consecutive shots – mostly from lobs and within a meter of the perimeter – provide a much-needed inside presence as a scorer.

Although Golden State's starting lineup was sidelined at the start of each of the first two games and field issues continue, Jackson-Davis is doing exactly what he was asked to do.

Protect the rim, use solid screens and use the paint sparingly. Perfection is the epitome of efficiency.

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