Elfrid Payton welcomed a newborn daughter to the world before rushing to Phoenix to catch up with his New York Knicks teammates.
The New York Knicks may have lost to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, but Elfrid Payton still comes out on top at the end of the day. The veteran point guard arrived in Talking Stick Resort Arena just shortly before game time due to the birth of his daughter.
The Knicks were willing to let Payton take time off if need be, but the point guard wanted to be with his teammates to try and extend their three-game winning streak. Unfortunately, Payton and the Knicks dropped the game after allowing Devin Booker to explode for 38 points and seven assists.
“It was very tough,” Payton said via Steve Popper of Newsday. “Didn’t really get in for shootaround, barely got to warm up today. So nothing was really routine about today. Appreciate my teammates sticking with me.
“I didn’t really get much sleep last night. Up basically all night for the most part, in and out sleep. It is what it is.”
Although Payton, 25, played well for most of the game, he faded in the fourth quarter. He turned the ball over twice in crunch time that proved costly. The lead guard finished with 15 points and six assists, but it wasn’t enough.
The loss in Phoenix is the first game of a four-game Western Conference trip. In fact, it was the most “winnable” game on the trip with games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, and Utah Jazz ahead.
