Following a hard foul from Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks in the first quarter of Game 2, Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II appeared to suffer an injury.
Brooks clubbed Payton II from behind as he soared to the bucket for a fastbreak layup. Following the flagrant two foul, Payton II tumbled hard to the ground. Immediately after his fall, Payton II grabbed his arm in pain on the court.
After Payton II received X-rays during the game, he was ruled out for the remainder of Game 2. Following Golden State’s loss to Memphis in Game 2, the Warriors announced Payton II suffered a fractured left elbow.
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When the Warriors return to the Bay Area on Wednesday, Payton II will get an MRI to determine the severity of his injury.
After earning the Warriors’ final roster spot before the start of the season, Payton II blossomed into one of the best stories of the 2021-22 campaign. Behind tough defense and emphatic dunks, Payton II developed into a key rotational piece for the Warriors. After coming off the bench in round one against the Denver Nuggets, Payton II drew starts in both Game 1 and Game 2 in Memphis.
During the 2021-22 season, Payton II averaged 7.1 points on 61.6% shooting from the field with 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 17.6 minutes per contest.
Without Payton II, the Warriors will need help finding a way to slow down Ja Morant. In Game 2, Morant tallied 47 points on 15-of-31 shooting from the floor with eight assists and eight boards to lead the Grizzlies to a victory, 106-101.
Game 3 is set to tip-off on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
