Gary Payton II almost made Stephen Curry forget

Private Stephen Curry a few games in, the Warriors thought they would have a quiet night against the Pelicans, who were promised one of the final two spots in the Western Conference. Mission (half) accomplished since then Golden State leads 104-96but not without fear. In fact, Gary Payton II saved them from a slump with his fourth career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. All with a triple that sends everyone to bed with less than a minute to go.

“He was amazing,” chains Steve Kerr. “Gary was one of the key elements of the game with his activity level, his defense, the fact that he works under the rim to get free for layups, and obviously that 3-point shot. It was a little bit like the fatal shot, the killer shot.”

The smallest player on the team, Payton finished as his team’s best rebounder, and despite a bruised ankle against the Rockets in the previous game, he brought his usual energy. “Role Player” by example.

Jimmy Butler is also full of praise: “Gary, he’s super smart. He puts the ball right where it needs to go, defends at a very high level, rebounds and plays the right way. When it’s open, he shoots; when it’s not, he passes. I think we can all learn a lot from him.”

Curry out, we need more play without the ball

It was the Butler-Payton duo that made it possible to make up for Stephen Curry’s absence. The former through his ability to focus the defense and create, while the latter was effective without the ball. “Jimmy gets a lot of attention when he attacks the rim and Gary is able to find all the open spaces in their defense,” sums up Draymond Green. “He was great in his cuts, in his rebounding — it was unbelievable. He played really well behind the defense, and Jimmy is always looking for the open player. If you’re open, he’s going to pass you every time. And Gary was open, and he found him four or five times.”

For Peytonrunning is essential when Stephen Curry is out. “Without Steph, the ball can’t stagnate. We can’t play one-on-one. We have to move the ball, play for each other, pass through others. And good things happen when the ball doesn’t stagnate. We move, we cut, we move the defense. That’s what happens when you play the right way.”