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Gary Payton II suffered ligament and muscle damage along with a broken left elbow in the Golden State Warriors’ defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies – but he might not be out of the playoffs just yet.
The Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks was ejected in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game for a nasty-looking strike across the head of Payton in midair, which was followed by a rebuke from Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
Kerr said that Brooks “broke the code” of the sport with that incident, claiming it had been “dirty” play.
The Warriors were beaten 106-101 by the Grizzlies, leaving their Western Conference semi-finals series locked at 1-1 ahead of the next tussle on Saturday.
While Payton will not feature again against the Grizzlies in this series, it appears he could have a role to play if the Warriors go any deeper into the playoffs. For now, the plan is to assess his condition in two weeks’ time.
A Warriors team statement said: “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.”
The Warriors also offered an update regarding veteran Andre Iguodala, seemingly ruling out a return until at least Game 6, should the series with the Grizzlies go so far.
“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,” the Warriors statement read.
