SAN FRANCISCO – Playing in just his second game back after missing a month with a right calf injury, Gary Payton II was injured again in the Warriors' 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday at Chase Center.
This time it was Payton's left hamstring that forced him out of the game.
Payton was defending deep under the Orlando basket when he appeared to get injured. He grimaced, ripped off his headband, and then threw it into the crowd as he entered the locker room.
“I feel sorry for him more than anything,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “I feel sorry for us too, but mostly for him. I worked hard to get back to this point. He has such a big influence on us.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he won’t be out for too long.”
Before his injury, Payton was a plus-10 with two points and four rebounds, he shared after the game a threatening post on social media. Payton's teammate Chris Paul was confident the injury was not serious and explained after Tuesday's win what the star defender means to the Warriors.
“It’s hard,” Paul said. “He is such a big part of our team. People may not realize it, but his energy is constant, every day, every practice, every game. Getting back to our team was huge for us. I hope that what it is is not something that will take a long time. For him it will be about getting as healthy as possible.
“He is a competitor, I know how much he wants to play and how hard he has worked to get back out there. We’ll see what happens, but it’s unfortunate for a man like GP who works as hard as he does.”
Any extended absence will be a blow to the Warriors, who relied on Payton to breathe life into a defense that has had all sorts of problems this season.
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