Warriors' Gary Payton II Out 3-5 Weeks with Elbow Injury; Could Return for Finals

Gary Payton II fractured his elbow in the second game of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Memphis Grizzles, but he hasn't ruled out a return at some point this postseason.

Chris Haynes reported on Wednesday that Payton will be out for 3-6 weeks.

According to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, an MRI showed some damage to the knee and that he will be out for at least three weeks. If the Warriors make it to the NBA Finals, he could return to the court.

The injury occurred less than three minutes into the game when the guard clubbed him from behind as he attempted to go for the block. As he fell out of the air, he grabbed his elbow and tried to keep his balance.

The man was ejected from the game. Memphis star point guard Ja Morant went off for 47 points, 18 of which came in the fourth quarter, as Golden State lost 106-101. The series is tied at one.

The Warriors were very vocal about their opinion of the play. Golden State head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game that he broke the code.

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry said that it was out of line for a defenseless player to go up for a layup and take a huge windup. I knocked him out of the game.

The NBA has yet to make a decision on the play. The Warriors will not have their best defender on Morant for the rest of the series.