Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II joins Jimmy Butler in the team’s injury report ahead of the pivotal Game 3 against the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Payton II is nursing a right shoulder strain. The defensive-minded guard was scoreless in 12 minutes during the Warriors’ 109-94 loss in Game 2 in Houston.
Payton II has been in and out of the lineup with a spate of injuries — from calf to thumb to nasal fracture — this season.
His potential absence will be a major blow to the Warriors, who are in a defensive slugfest against the very physical Rockets team.
Payton II is averaging 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 assists in 14.0 minutes off the bench in the series vs. the Rockets. If he is not available to play, it will open up minutes for Pat Spencer, who was a revelation in his playoff debut in Game 2.
Spencer relentlessly attacked the Rockets’ aggressive defense.
“They pressure so hard. In order to counter that,” Spencer told The Athletic, “you’ve got to get somebody getting downhill to the paint. They didn’t collapse, and they gave up like three or four layups.”
The seldom-used Spencer scored 11 points in 12 minutes. He shot 5-of-7 from the field, grabbed a rebound and dished out an assist in a surprise stint which came after Butler exited in the first quarter with a pelvis contusion that was later diagnosed to be a deep glute muscle contusion.
Steve Kerr Says There’s a Chance Jimmy Butler Will Play
Golden State coach Steve Kerr is relatively optimistic that Butler will play in Game 3.
“I think there’s a chance he plays,” Kerr said, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
What makes Kerr optimistic is Butler’s high pain tolerance.
“Jimmy is Jimmy, he’s willing to play through anything,” Kerr said, per Danny Emerman of The San Francisco Standard.
Butler’s MRI came back negative for fracture or structural damage, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday. Though this was the best-case scenario, Charania also added that Butler’s status for Game 3 is in serious jeopardy.
But Kerr said Butler’s status is day-to-day.
Is Jonathan Kuminga In or Out?
If Butler’s glute injury prevents him from playing in Game 3, Jonathan Kuminga will again have an opportunity to show Kerr he deserves minutes in the series.
Kuminga struggled to find his rhythm in Game 2 after he filled in for Butler.
Unlike Spencer, who was ready for the moment, Kuminga shot 4-for-12 from the field for 11 points. The young forward did not help his cause with his shooting struggles. Worse, he was minus-3 in 26 minutes of court time.
“It wasn’t all great,” Kuminga bluntly said of his comeback game. “I feel like I could have done better. I’m just trying to figure out where to be, what to do, how can I play — just things like that. We did not end up winning, but so far I feel like I just went out and played hard.”
Kuminga’s status for Game 3 will largely depend on Butler, who averaged 43.3 minutes in the three games the former received DNP-CD (did not play-coach’s decision).
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