Enter Gary Payton II, who received the ball from a driving Dennis Schröder and got all the way up, slamming down a thunderous dunk on OKC center Isaiah Hartenstein to extend the Warriors’ lead to nine points with just over a minute to play. The dunk got the entire Golden State bench on its feet, and sent the crowd into hysterics.

In a blockbuster three-team deal, the Golden State Warriors land Jimmy Butler to form a dynamic duo with Stephen Curry, the Miami Heat get younger with Brandon Ingram, and the New Orleans Pelicans continue their rebuild by offloading Ingram for valuable role players.

Gary Payton II occasionally finds himself flashing back to his long-ago days at Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas, the first time he regularly handled the duties of a power forward more than those of a guard.

Gary Payton II credits Denis Schroeder while joking about his recent lack of highlight plays after last night's dunk on Isaiah Hartenstein.

My league sources confirm these hesitations, revealing that Curry himself has reservations about Butler's fit in the Warriors' locker room — a sentiment shared by head coach Steve Kerr. Their worries stem from Butler's tumultuous history with previous teams:

Stephen Curry hit a long 3-pointer with 1:52 left on the way to 21 points, Andrew Wiggins scored 27 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109.

According to Stephen Curry, who had 21 points for the night, it was important for the team to celebrate the victory despite it just being a regular season game. "It was important.

Stephen Curry hit a long 3-pointer with 1:52 left on the way to 21 points, Andrew Wiggins scored 27 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109 on Wednesday night.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Lakers' win, however, was their ability to stifle the Warriors' greatest weapon: Stephen Curry ... Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II contributing ...

Steve Kerr will likely go with Trayce Jackson-Davis, Andrew Wiggins, Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II as the starting five. The Warriors’ season has been a mixed bag so far.

Gary Payton II put an exclamation mark on the Warriors' upset win vs. the Thunder with a poster dunk over Isaiah Hartenstein in the fourth quarter.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 52 points for Oklahoma City Wednesday, but Golden State's balanced scoring attack was too much for the Thunder in a 116-109 victory. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 for the Warriors.