Gary Payton II Gives Warriors Huge Boost In Series Clinching Win Over Denver Nuggets

The Golden State Warriors closed out the Denver Nuggets 102-98 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.

In a series that included multiple All-Stars in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jokic, it was Gary Payton II that stepped up and stole the show late in Game 5 to push the Golden State Warriors into the Western Conference Semifinals for the first-time since 2019.

Defeating the Denver Nuggets 102-98, the Warriors won Game 5 at home in dramatic fashion.

Back-and-forth these two teams went in the second-half and with Golden State searching for answers anywhere on the floor, head coach Steve Kerr called upon Gary Payton II at the end of the bench, who had played just a total of just 59 minutes in this series heading into Wednesday night.

Payton was not just fantastic in this game, he was phenomenal and he ended up being the reason the Warriors were able to close out this series on their home court.

Playing 26 minutes off-the-bench, Gary Payton II scored 15 points on 6-8 shooting, 3-4 from three-point range, and two of his big threes came in the final quarter of play.

GP2 ARE YOU KIDDING pic.twitter.com/HnZTLeRuNd

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 28, 2022

At the beginning of the year, Payton was the last player to make the Warriors roster and he was a guy that no other team around the league wanted at the time.

Now, the 29 other teams in this league are watching the playoffs and shaking their heads, wondering why they did not sign Payton when they had a chance to!

Stepping up when it matters most, Payton delivered in a huge way for Golden State in Game 5.

“His defense in the fourth quarter was just fantastic. It’s why I stayed with him,” Steve Kerr said in his postgame remarks. “But then he started to knocking down threes and getting to the rim for layups. I thought he was just a huge factor in the game. ... He came through big time.”

Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole struggled offensively in this game, combining for just 23 points on 8-23 shooting from the floor, but Stephen Curry continued his hot-streak on offense with 30 points on 5-11 shooting from deep.

“GP changed the game for us tonight,” Draymond Green said after the game. “He was incredible on both ends of the floor. He hit some big shots, but he was all over the court on the defensive-end and that’s the way he’s been all year, that’s why he made this team and not only did he make it, but he became part of the rotation. An absolutely incredible defender and more importantly, he’s become an incredible player and that’s even better.” 

The one thing the Warriors had been missing the last few seasons was depth and this season, when fully-healthy, they have proven that they are the deepest team in the league.

You just never know who is going to step up around Curry, Thompson and Green on this team and on Wednesday night, it was Gary Payton II’s turn to show what he is made of.

YOU ALREADY KNOW, DUBS UP

🔊 @Garydwayne pic.twitter.com/LMCQH4Qe7T

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 28, 2022

The Golden State Warriors now await the winner of Minnesota-Memphis in the Western Conference Semifinals, as they look to get back to the NBA Finals for the sixth-time in the last eight seasons. 

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