Golden State Warriors veteran guard Gary Payton II is set to miss time due to a thumb injury, according to a report from Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Payton, a nine-year veteran, has played in 58 games for Golden State this year, averaging 6.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per contest. However, Payton has been seeing an uptick in playing time recently, as head coach Steve Kerr navigates the injury of star Steph Curry ahead of the playoffs which are set to begin next month.
It is unclear how much time Payton will miss, as the team is still determining the severity of the injury, but it's another blow to Golden State's backcourt rotation as the franchise continues to fight to avoid the play-in tournament.
At 41-31 on the season, the Warriors find themselves in the No. 7 seed in the West. They have the same record as the No. 6 seed Los Angeles Clippers, but Los Angeles owns the tiebreak. The Warriors play the Clippers in the final game of the regular season on April 13, which could prove pivotal to their hopes of avoiding the play-in tournament.