Warriors reserve Gary Payton II was injured in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The Golden State Warriors announced guard Gary Payton II will be out at least two weeks after suffering his fractured left elbow in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.
An MRI of the injury on Wednesday confirmed the fracture as well as ligament and muscle damage. Per the team, he will be reevaluated in two weeks.
On Wednesday, multiple reports had Payton missing 3-5 weeks because of the injury, which occurred following a flagrant foul by Memphis Grizzlies swingman Dillon Brooks. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Payton has yet to rule out a potential return in time for the NBA Finals, should the Warriors advance there for the first time in three seasons.
Gary Payton II, who exited Tuesday’s Game 2 in Memphis after sustaining an injury to his left elbow, underwent an MRI yesterday in the Bay Area. The MRI confirmed a fracture in the left elbow, in addition to ligament and muscle damage. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks. pic.twitter.com/NKWr7LgFfb
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 5, 2022
Payton was going for a layup when Brooks chased him down and swung his arm, hitting the Warriors guard in the head. Payton went down and immediately grabbed at his left arm with 9:08 left in the first quarter.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was blunt about the play, calling it “dirty” during the nationally televised sideline interview between the first and second quarters.
After the game he added, “Dillon Brooks broke the code. He broke the code. That’s how I see it. You don’t hit a guy when he’s in midair, club him and break his elbow.”
Payton is in his second season with the Warriors and has become a key contributor for them, averaging 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in 71 games during the season. In the playoffs, he is averaging 6.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.3 spg for the Warriors.
Additionally, the Warriors announced that veteran forward Andre Iguodala is making progress from his injury and will be reevaluated in a week. Iguodala has missed the team’s last three playoff games because of a disc injury in his neck.
Andre Iguodala, who has missed the team’s last three playoff games due to a disc injury in his neck, is making good progress in his recovery and will be re-evaluated again in one week. pic.twitter.com/wfNawFxtKh
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 5, 2022
He appeared in three of the Warriors’ first four playoff games and is averaging 1.3 ppg and 2.3 rpg in the 2022 playoffs.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
