Veteran guard Gary Payton II has chosen the perfect time to deliver one of his best performances in recent seasons, producing a shock double-double to help the Golden State Warriors to an ugly 104-96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.
The Warriors found themselves down one in the final minutes of a low-scoring game, only for Payton to play his part in an 11-0 run that secured victory in the absence of 2x MVP Stephen Curry.
Gary Payton II dropped a double-double against the Pelicans
Payton finished with a season-high in both points (19) and rebounds (11), putting tan exclamation mark on things with a corner three that put the result beyond doubt.