One level lower than the event floor at Chase Center is the space where the Warriors train. It includes the locker room, the workout center and the practice floor where Gary Payton II and Jordan Poole would engage in their own little game.
Payton was the cat, Poole the mouse. Each would cheerfully insist he got the better of the other. Teammates said they were fun to watch.
The fun returns Saturday afternoon, when Payton and the Warriors face Poole and the Washington Wizards at Chase. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:35. NBC Sports Bay Area TV coverage begins at 4:30.
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Golden State (20-20) is struggling to escape mediocrity, but the Wizards (6-33) are struggling to compete. They’ve lost eight consecutive games and haven’t posted consecutive victories since October.
If Washington can be optimistic about anything other than its chances to land Duke’s Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft, it is Poole’s resurgence. Traded by the Warriors to the Wizards 18 months ago, he is rediscovering his game after a subpar initial season in the nation’s capital.
Poole leads the Wizards in scoring, averaging 21.4 points per game, shooting 43.1 percent from the field, including 40 percent from distance. He has boosted his scoring to 23.5 per game over the last month. Moreover, his 27.7 scoring average in wins suggests his production has a direct impact on success.
Though starting point guard Dennis Schroder likely will get the initial defensive assignment on Poole, expect the intensity to rise when GP2 gets his turn. Given their playful history as teammates, the Payton-Poole matchup is the zestiest in the game.
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"It’s all love at the end of the day,” Payton told reporters after practice on Friday. “But we’re probably going to talk s—t for sure. Jordan knows what I like to do; I was with Jordan all summer. So, I know what he likes to do and what he’s been working on.
“It’s time to see what’s good. He already knows. (Saturday) is going to be fun once again.”
Returning Wednesday in Minnesota after a 10-game absence due to a left calf strain, Payton played 19 minutes, producing seven points, six rebounds and stellar defense against Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards in Golden State’s 116-115 victory.
Trading Poole – a decision related to the fallout after he was punched in the face by then-teammate Draymond Green during a practice – cost the Warriors’ a talented scorer whose first step is lethal enough to torch most defenders.
He’ll flash it a few times on Saturday, and his old practice nemesis will be waiting for it.