Gary Payton II leaves Rockets game with ankle injury
Golden State Warriors guard Gary Peyton IIthe night is over against the Houston Rockets. Peyton suffered a lower-body injury in the first half of the contest and later turned off for the remainder of the match at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
“Warriors say Gary Payton II (sprained left ankle) will not return for tonight’s game vs. Houston,” ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel shared via a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Payton saw just five minutes of action against the Rockets, recording only an assist and a rebound while missing his only attempt from the floor. Rookie guard Will Richard, who was part of the Dubs’ starting lineup, entered the game after Peyton exited.
Peyton’s bruised foot adds to the Warriors’ injury woeswho are already playing the Rockets without the services of forwards Jonathan Cuminga and Al Horford due to knee and back problems. Draymond Green was questionable for the contest, but was eventually given the green light to suit up and play against Houston.
Payton has been a fixture on Golden State’s second unit in the 2025-26 NBA season, starting just 19 games so far. He entered the Rockets game averaging 3.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 11.4 minutes per outing. If he needs more time to recover from the injury, it would be a significant blow to Golden State’s depth, especially in the Stephen Curry-led backcourt.
With Thanksgiving off on Thursday and another day off on Friday for the Warriors, Payton will have plenty of time to recover from the injury, assuming it’s not serious. Golden State’s next game is on Saturday when they host the New Orleans Pelicans.
2025-11-27 05:08:00
