An MRI on Warriors guard Gary Payton II revealed ligament damage to go along with his fractured left elbow, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports. Payton reportedly is expected to miss three weeks, and he still has a chance to play in the NBA Finals if Golden State makes it that far.
Payton suffered the injury on Tuesday night when Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks fouled him hard in transition, causing Payton to land on his elbow. Brooks was given a Flagrant Two foul and ejected from the game.
With the NBA Finals scheduled to begin on June 2, Payton would have a margin of error of a week based on this diagnosis to play in the Finals, assuming Golden State gets that opportunity. Without Payton, Golden State may choose to start Jordan Poole, the only Warriors bench player to log double-digit minutes on Tuesday.
The Warriors are currently tied with the Grizzlies 1-1 as the series shifts to California. Golden State took Game 1 thanks to a late three-point shot by Klay Thompson, while Memphis won Game 2 behind 47 points from Ja Morant.
