The Golden State Warriors scored a huge win over the weekend, beating the Phoenix Suns 113-112 and bringing their record to an even 25-25.
Stephen Curry was once again the hero of his team, scoring 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, along with a game-winning three-pointer that got the crowd on its feet.
But multiple other players did well, including Gary Payton II.
Payton recorded 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists during the game and was tasked with guarding Kevin Durant often.
Not only did Payton do well with the task, but he had a good time doing it.
On Twitter, he posted several images of himself against Durant with the caption, “That was fun.”
This was fun 🤝🏾 pic.twitter.com/xcvVqXfo5Z
— GPII (@Garydwayne) February 12, 2024
Payton has averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game this season but he hasn’t had many chances to impress due to injuries that have kept him out of all but 17 games.
In fact, Saturday night’s game was his first appearance with the Warriors in weeks.
He last played at the very start of January before being sidelined.
Payton was clearly ready to play and help the Warriors once again and he was more than eager to accept the task of blocking Durant.
That’s obviously a tough job but Payton has repeatedly shown that he’s willing to guard just about any other NBA player, despite their size.
At just six-foot-two, Payton is smaller than many of the opponents he goes toe-to-toe with but that doesn’t stop or intimidate him.
On Saturday, Durant scored 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.
This was Golden State’s fourth win in a row and they are now set to battle the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Will Payton’s dynamic defensive style make an appearance again during that game?
NEXT: Steve Kerr, Several Warriors Members To Miss Jazz Game
