Steph Curry and Gary Payton II combined for a sensational move, and NBA Twitter could not help but compare it to Dwayne Wade and LeBron James’ dunk vs Milwaukee Bucks.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves were the recent team to be steamrolled by this Golden State Warriors train. With six wins on the bounce now, the Warriors sit atop the Western Conference with a 10-1 record.
Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Edwards were the men of the hour, going back and forth for their respective teams all night. The former ended the game with 35 points, while the latter registered a career-high 48 points.
But neither of them were involved in what was inarguably the highlight of the game, as Gary Payton II brought down all the heat for a dunk following a lob from none other than Chef Steph Curry.
Steph Curry to Gary Payton II was Wade to LeBron, plus a lob, but minus the photo finish
Nearly a decade ago, visiting Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat, led by LeBron James, beat the hosts 78-88. It was a pretty standard game, but it produced one of the most iconic NBA photos ever.
Dwyane Wade took charge of a turnover in the first quarter, and with a no-look, passed the ball to LeBron near the top of the key. One step, two-step, BUCKET! It was a picture-perfect move, and it resulted in one hell of a photo with Wade’s staring at the crowd with his hands by his side, already celebrating before the basket was scored.
Yesternight, Curry and GPII nearly recreated that but with a perfect lob. The former read Jarred Vanderbilt’s pass to Malik Beasley perfectly, forcing a turnover. He then raced to the paint before lobbing it over D’Angelo Russell. Payton II flew to catch the ball and dunked it to absolute perfection.
Steph, who knew the accuracy of his pass as soon as the ball left his hand, did not look back, raced towards the rest of his team to celebrate with them. An inch-perfect move, just lacking the photo finish that Wade and LeBron enjoyed.
