Gary Payton II exits Tuesday’s game with hamstring strain

Let’s hope he’s OK.

The Golden State Warriors have been fairly healthy this season, but unfortunately that good luck has not extended to Gary Payton II. And on Tuesday night, in the third quarter of the team’s game against the Orlando Magic, Payton seemed to get bit by the injury bug again.

Towards the end of the quarter, Payton came up lame on an offensive possession. He limped down the court while holding his left leg (critically not the leg he injured in November), and once the team got the ball back, they called timeout to get Payton out of the game.

Payton’s reaction certainly hinted at the injury being someone serious. He ripped off his headband and punched the air in frustration, as he limped his way to the locker room. We’ll have to wait to learn about what the extent of it, but GPII’s reaction is cause for pessimism. Shortly later, he was ruled out due to a hamstring strain.

It was just Payton’s second game since returning from a calf strain. He had missed 13 straight games due to that injury, so it’s safe to say he’s incredibly frustrated by likely heading back to the sidelines for a while.

Here’s a look at the play that caused the injury.

Here’s hoping that GPII is okay. It’s been a very tough two-year stretch for him from a health standpoint, and it would be great if he could stay on the court. He deserves that, and we all know that Golden State could use the defensive impact.