The Golden State Warriors returned to the win column with a 118-112 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday (Nov. 24.) One of the highlights from the game was a Gary Payton II block on 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama. Payton is the fifth player to record a block on the impressive rookie and is the smallest of the five.
When speaking to the media after the game, Payton discussed what led to his block and how he tried to provide a defensive spark for his team to help build momentum during the game.
“I was just trying to get back and help protect the rim,” Payton said. “I think it was 30 that made him re-adjust and Euro, I knew he wasn’t passing the ball, so tried to meet him at the top before he got it off. … It’s just energy and effort, you know? Try to get and make plays. Get us out, get a spark, and get going. I think after that, we kind of turned up the defensive intensity. After that, we turned up the defensive intensity. It got us getting stops.”
Payton had missed the Warriors’ last three games due to injury. His return to the rotation helped boost Golden State’s defense and ensured the bench unit played with energy and purpose.
"I'm probably the smallest."
GP2 on being one of the few players to block Victor Wembanyama đź’Ş pic.twitter.com/fIOv7FJw51
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 25, 2023
The win leaves the Warriors third in “West Group C” of the in-season tournament. However, the Sacramento Kings top the group with three straight wins and are likely to proceed to the next round.
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