Warriors wing Gary Payton II ruled out for Game 7 against Rockets with illness

For the third time this series, the Warriors will be unexpectedly down a player

If the Golden State Warriors are going to keep their season alive with a Game 7 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, they will have to do so without one of their best defensive players. Warriors wing Gary Payton II has been ruled out for Game 7 with an illness, per a report Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Payton, who started for Golden State in Game 6, was added to the injury report and listed as questionable earlier in the day. It seems he has been unable to recover in time to play.

This is the third time this series that a Warriors player has been sidelined by an unexpected ailment in Houston. Brandin Podziemski was seriously limited in Game 2 against the Rockets by an infection that caused severe gastrointestinal problems. He only played 14 minutes and was abysmal on the floor. Jonathan Kuminga was out for Game 5 with a migraine that popped up on the day of the game.

Payton is a dominant on-ball defender on the perimeter and an excellent slasher. While a scorching hot shooting stretch earlier in the season was cut short by an injury, he has remained a key rotation piece when healthy. In 62 games this season (11 starts), Payton has averaged 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on 57.4% shooting from the field (32.6% from three) shooting. In the series, Payton has averaged 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game on 50% shooting from the field (40% from three).