Key Warriors player missing for Game 7 against Rockets

The Golden State Warriors’ uphill climb to win a Game 7 on the road just got even steeper.

Warriors guard Gary Payton II was ruled out for his team’s do-or-die Game 7 on Sunday against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Payton was a late addition to the team’s injury report earlier in the day on Sunday due to an illness.

He was ultimately ruled out for the contest roughly three hours before tip-off. That would presumably mean that Payton’s illness is serious enough that he couldn’t even make it to warmups to try to give it a go on Sunday.

Payton, 32, is Golden State’s single most impactful perimeter defender (with Draymond Green largely sitting back in the defensive scheme). While his numbers do not pop off the page (6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game this season), Payton is integral to the Warriors’ game plan and was a key member of their 2022 NBA championship.

In Game 6 against Houston on Friday, Payton even drew the start for Golden State instead of Brandin Podziemski. Overall on the series, Payton posted averages of 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in a mere 16.0 minutes per game (including hitting 40 percent of his three-pointers).

With Payton now out of commission for Game 7, Podziemski will likely re-enter the starting lineup for the Warriors and be tasked with replicating Payton’s hustle, 3-and-D play. It could also mean more minutes off the bench for Moses Moody as well as Golden State potentially being forced to turn to their forgotten weapon.