LOS ANGELES – The Warriors’ greatest perimeter defender is nearly able to return to the lineup.
Gary Payton II, who has missed the previous three video games with a partial tear in his left thumb, participated within the group’s shootaround at UCLA on Thursday morning.
He was dominated out of the group’s recreation towards the Lakers, however the group introduced he shall be listed as day-to-day shifting ahead.
“We’re going to get Gary back soon,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated pregame.
Payton, 32, has suited up 58 occasions this season and has averaged 6.6 factors and three.0 rebounds per recreation in 14.9 minutes per recreation.
In the meantime, Jonathan Kuminga warmed up on Thursday night time, however remained a recreation time choice with a proper pelvic contusion he suffered in San Antonio final week.
“He’s going to warm up and we’ll see,” Kerr stated.
Kuminga was listed as “available” on the official damage report after Kerr’s media availability.
The 6-foot-9 ahead is averaging and even 16 factors per recreation this season.
The Warriors (44-31) are the fifth seed, now a half-game in entrance of sixth-seeded Minnesota (44-32) and the No. 7 seed Los Angeles Clippers (44-32) within the West standings. The Lakers (46-29) entered the sport because the No. 3 seed.
Podziemski, Reddick, sees similarities
The Warriors and Lakers every rebuilt their rosters at midseason, trades for Jimmy Butler and Luka Doncic respectively rendering their pre-trade outcomes – three Lakers victories over Golden State – meaningless.
The Warriors are 19-5 since including Butler, whereas Los Angeles is 15-10 following its blockbuster commerce for Doncic.
The Lakers don’t play at fairly the breakneck tempo they did when middle Anthony Davis was working to the rim, however Los Angeles continues to be efficient when it hits the open courtroom.
“They play a little bit different with Luka,” Brandin Podziemski stated after shootaround. “They play slower, but they’re still No. 1 in transition PPP (points per possession), and a lot of rim attempts in transition. So we figure if we can keep a man on a man and keep them out of transition, we’ll be fine.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick additionally pushed again on the notion that the Warriors have been a totally completely different group with Jimmy Butler.
“They’re doing a lot of the same stuff, and we’ve got to be great with our off-ball discipline and Curry awareness, and it’s hell to try and guard him,” Redick stated.
Though Butler has given Golden State a second ballhandler who can draw fouls (7.6 free throw makes an attempt per recreation with the Warriors) and discover open shooters (6.2 assists per recreation), Redick highlighted his defensive influence because the Lakers are involved about.
Kerr agreed.
“Draymond and Jimmy are incredibly high IQ players, and the two of them working together, it’s beautiful to watch,” Kerr stated. “They read off each other. We might be in a scheme that we don’t get to for whatever reason and it doesn’t phase them. They just instantly react to what’s in front of them.”
Thursday begins a run of three consecutive video games towards groups seeded greater than Golden State..
After ending its six-game highway journey in Los Angeles, the Warriors will take a fast flight again to the Bay Space to play a house recreation towards third-seeded Denver on Friday.
After in the future off, Golden State will play host to No. 2 seed Houston.
“It does feel like a playoff game,” Kerr stated. “With this play-in situation, there’s eight teams that would’ve been in in the clear under the old format, and it would have just been about seeding. We’re all desperate to avoid that play-in, and so it’s created a race.”
Initially Revealed: April 3, 2025 at 6:20 PM PDT
