San Francisco, CA – There aren't many games where Stephen Curry isn't the best player on his team, but Wednesday night was one of those nights. The Golden State Warriors received a scoring outburst from Jordan Poole, who finished with 31 points. Although he had a fantastic night, you can argue that Gary Payton II was the best player on the floor in that game.

Payton II racked up 14 points, three steals, and a block, along with a poster slam over former teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. His performance didn't go unnoticed, and Charlotte Hornets Miles Bridges had to acknowledge it.

“I feel like it was 85-78 with eight or nine minutes left. I feel like we could have taken advantage of that and kept our momentum going, but Gary (Payton II) did a great job of leading the Warriors on defense,” Bridges told ClutchPoints.

Payton II entered the game and changed the pace and feel immediately. It seemed like every time the Warriors needed a player to make a play, Payton II was the guy to make something happen. Especially on defense, he was an absolute menace Wednesday night.

‘Draymond (Green) is usually the guy that does that, but he (Payton II) came out and made some — two key stops, blocked my shot too. Got an offensive rebound, and he got them going, so he physically beat us by himself in the fourth quarter,” Bridges said.

The Warriors beat the Hornets 114-92 and improved their record to 6-1, tied with the Utah Jazz for the best record in the Western Conference. Friday, they will face the New Orleans Pelicans and attempt to build off this hot start to the season.