The Golden State Warriors were looking for an exclamation point on Wednesday night.
After a back-and-forth battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors had taken control of the final few minutes, and were looking to close out an impressive win over the best team in the Western Conference.
Enter Gary Payton II, who received the ball from a driving Dennis Schröder and got all the way up, slamming down a thunderous dunk on OKC center Isaiah Hartenstein to extend the Warriors’ lead to nine points with just over a minute to play.
The dunk got the entire Golden State bench on its feet, and sent the crowd into hysterics.
OH MY GOODNESS GARY PAYTON II 🤯🤯
— NBA (@NBA) January 30, 2025
THROWS DOWN THE CRUNCHTIME POSTER SLAM!! pic.twitter.com/ndcUM1cvuJ
After the game, Stephen Curry told reporters that Payton’s dunk meant more than just two points for the team—it was something to celebrate, and to build on moving forward.
"To finish a game like that was special. You want to be able to have a stamp on a game like that,” Curry said of Payton’s jam. “The crowd was going crazy, the whole bench was up. That’s what a team needs when you’ve had a run like we’ve had. Not to overemphasize one play, but it’s huge. It was a microcosm of our whole night.”
Curry added that Payton himself was rather excited about the play, as he had not had a highlight-reel dunk like that in a while. He also explained why the team’s jubilation after the play, and the water-bottle shower they gave head coach Steve Kerr when he made it back to the locker room, were important to the marathon of the NBA season.
“We need some feel-good energy around here,” Curry said. “You can’t forget to celebrate the small wins, no matter what the standard has been around here. You’ve gotta infuse some joy.”
Halfway through the NBA season, the Warriors have faced their fair share of choppy waters. After a 12-3 start, Golden State won just 10 of their next 30 games, falling all the way out of the playoff standings. Given the poor stretch of play, the celebration around Payton’s dunk and the win over the Thunder was a reminder of the championship caliber of this team.
Curry, Payton, and the rest of the Warriors will have a chance for another impressive win on Friday night as they host the Phoenix Suns.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steph Curry Explains How Gary Payton II’s Monster Dunk Was Worth More Than Two Points to Warriors.
