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The MRI results are in for Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II and his prognosis doesn’t look any better than it did a few days ago. Imaging confirmed that the baller had suffered an elbow fracture, in addition to revealing ligament and muscle damage.
As a result, he’s lost to the club for the remainder of its second-round series against the Grizzlies; a matchup during which his perimeter defense was expected to play a major role in the Warriors’ efforts to contain Ja Morant.
It wasn’t all bad news from the Dubs, though, as the team also dropped an update on forward Andre Iguodala, who has been out with a disc injury in his neck. And while the announcement wasn’t that his return is imminent, things look to be moving in a positive direction.
For the optimists out there, it was the ultimate “no news is good news” update.
Warriors: Iggy to Be Reevaluated in a Week
Per Warriors PR, Iguodala “is making good progress in his recovery and will be re-evaluated again in one week.” The 38-year-old has missed Golden State’s last three playoff games after hitting the court on three occasions against the Nuggets.
Unfortunately, injuries continue to be the story of the campaign for Iguodala, who appeared in just 31 games for Golden State during the regular season.
There had been some hope that the veteran would be able to shoulder a heavier load as the club’s title chase heated up. And, against the Nuggets, things were definitely trending in that direction — Iggy averaged 14.1 minutes per contest in the series and the prevailing belief was that he would play even more in Round 2.
Instead, he’s stuck on the sidelines with Payton while the Warriors search for answers against Morant.
“It’s a huge loss for us,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said when Iggy went down, via ESPN. “He’s a guy who has been through everything and has seen it all in his career and has played in a million playoff games for us. He knows exactly what’s going on and we can use him in a variety of ways… so it’s a big loss.”
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Green Gets Fined
As expected, Warriors star Draymond Green received a $25,000 fine for flipping Memphis fans off during Game 2 against the Grizz on Tuesday. Green made the gesture while exiting the court to receive stitches after catching an elbow to the right eye.
During his postgame media availability, Green defended his actions and scoffed at his inevitable punishment.
“If you’re going to boo somebody who got elbowed in the eye and face with [blood] running down, you should get flipped off,” Green said, while adding, “I’ll take the fine, I’ll do an appearance to make up the money. It felt really good to flip them off..”
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