Warriors' Payton II OUT 3-5 Weeks With Fractured Elbow
According to NBA Insider Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Golden State Warriors will be without Gary Payton II for 3-to-5 weeks with a left elbow fracture.
Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II will be sidelined 3-to-5 weeks with an elbow fracture, league sources tell @YahooSports, @NBAonTNT.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 5, 2022
The injury occurred less than three minutes into Tuesday’s Game 2 meeting with the Memphis Grizzlies. Payton appeared to have a clear path to the rim and was hammered by Dillon Brooks from behind. The 29-year-old came crashing onto the hardwood and landed hard on his elbow.
Brooks was given a Flagrant 2 and ejected from the game after making contact with Payton’s head while swinging his arm to contest the bucket. In a play Golden State head coach Steve Kerr called “dirty,” Payton’s injury and projected time missed may play into the league’s decision on whether or not to suspend Brooks.
The Warriors guard will miss at least this round, and depending on how his recovery goes; he could conceivably miss the rest of these playoffs.
Golden State is still favored to win the set as the series shifts to San Francisco. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Dubs at -300 to move on to the next round while Memphis sits at +245.
