Warriors' Buddy Hield: Drops out of rotation

Hield (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Saturday's 119-116 win over the Suns.

Though Golden State ran with the same starting five for the third game in a row, head coach Steve Kerr continued to tinker with the back end of his rotation. For the first time all season, Hield found himself as the odd man out, even on a night Golden State used 12 players. Kerr elected to reopen a spot in the rotation Will Richard, who hadn't appeared in any of the past three games but responded with a 20-point, five-rebound effort off the bench. Richard's performance could earn him more opportunities on the second unit at the expense of Hield, who had seen his playing time drop in each ensuing game since he made a 26-minute start Dec. 6 in Cleveland.