February 15, 2025
Ex-teammates GP2, Poole, important duel between the Warriors and Wizards

Ex-teammates GP2, Poole, important duel between the Warriors and Wizards

The most important match between ex-teammates GP2 and Poole in Warriors vs. Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

One level lower than the events floor at Chase Center is the room where the Warriors practice. It includes the locker room, training center and practice field where Gary Payton II and Jordan Poole played their own little game.

Payton was the cat, Poole was the mouse. Each cheerfully insisted that he beat the other. Teammates said they were fun to watch.

The fun returns Saturday afternoon when Payton and the Warriors take on Poole and the Washington Wizards in the Chase. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. NBC Sports Bay Area TV coverage begins at 4:30 p.m.

Golden State (20-20) is struggling to escape mediocrity, but the Wizards (6-33) are struggling to keep up. They have lost eight games in a row and have not recorded consecutive wins since October.

If Washington can be optimistic about anything other than its chances of taking Duke’s Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft, it’s Poole’s resurgence. He was traded from the Warriors to the Wizards 18 months ago and is rediscovering his game after a subpar first season in the nation’s capital.

Poole leads the Wizards in averaging 21.4 points per game and is shooting 43.1 percent from the field, including 40 percent from distance. He has increased his scoring to 23.5 per game over the last month. Additionally, his win average of 27.7 suggests that his performance has a direct impact on success.

Although starting point guard Dennis Schroder will likely get Poole’s first defensive assignment, expect the intensity to increase when GP2 comes around. Given their playing history as teammates, Payton and Poole’s duel is the most exciting in the game.

“At the end of the day, it’s all love,” Payton told reporters after practice Friday. “But we’ll probably definitely talk. Jordan knows what I like to do; I was with Jordan all summer. So I know what he likes to do and what he has worked on.

“It’s time to see what’s good. He already knows. (Saturday) will be fun again.”

Payton returned to Minnesota on Wednesday after missing 10 games with a left calf strain. Payton played 19 minutes and posted seven points, six rebounds and outstanding defense against Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards in Golden State’s 116-115 win.

Trading Poole — a decision tied 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 was deadly enough to set most defenders on fire put.
He’ll show it a few times on Saturday, and his old nemesis will be waiting.

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