Gary Payton II injury update: Warriors guard to undergo MRI on fractured elbow
Gary Payton II left Game 2 of the Warriors’ second-round matchup with the Grizzlies after suffering an elbow injury.
The injury occurred early in the game after Payton took a hard hit from Dillon Brooks, earning the Memphis forward a flagrant-2 foul and an ejection.
Payton stayed in the game to shoot his free throws, but he then exited and did not return.
GP2 takes a hard fall after getting fouled by Dillon Brooks.
Brooks was given a Flagrant 2 foul and has been ejected from Game 2pic.twitter.com/FPLHkcIkx3
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 4, 2022
Here is what we know about Payton’s injury.
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What is Gary Payton II’s injury?
Payton was quickly ruled out for the remainder of Tuesday’s Game 2 with a left elbow injury. The Warriors later announced that he had a fractured elbow and would undergo an MRI on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury.
After the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called Brooks’ foul “dirty” and said he “broke the code.”
Steve Kerr: “Dillon Brooks broke the code.”
Here is Kerr’s full soundbite on the foul that injured Gary Payton II pic.twitter.com/QALedINMYo
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 4, 2022
Stephen Curry called it “out of line,” while Draymond Green said it was a “bulls—” foul.
Will Gary Payton II play in Game 3?
It’s still unknown how long Payton will be sidelined, but Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes tweeted that his recovery will “likely be measured in weeks” as opposed to days.
Re: Gary Payton II: Hard to predict a specific return to play timeline for an elbow fracture without knowing the bone involved (radius Vs ulna Vs humerus) or any additonal soft tissue injuries. However, the recovery will likely be measured in weeks, not days.
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) May 4, 2022
When Kerr was asked about how the Warriors will defend Ja Morant without Payton, he said the team hopes to get Andre Iguodala, who has been out with a neck injury, back for Game 3.
Morant is off to a dominant start in this series. He finished Game 1 with a near triple-double of 34 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. In Game 2, he scored 47 points while dishing out eight assists and grabbing eight rebounds.
Without Payton, Andrew Wiggins defended Morant the most in Game 2, followed by Klay Thompson and Curry.
Warriors vs. Grizzlies series schedule
Here is the full schedule for the second-round series between the Grizzlies and Warriors:
Date | Game | Time (ET) |
May 1 | Game 1: Warriors 117, Grizzlies 116 | 3:30 p.m. |
May 3 | Game 2: Grizzlies 106, Warriors 101 | 9:30 p.m. |
May 7 | Game 3 | 8:30 p.m. |
May 9 | Game 4 | 10 p.m. |
May 11 | Game 5 | 9:30 p.m. |
May 13 | Game 6* | TBD |
May 16 | Game 7* | TBD |
*if necessary