The Orlando Magic suffered their first loss of the season Friday, taking a 126-121 defeat on the road at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets. Orlando tripped itself up with 22 turnovers in the game that led to 17 points off turnovers by the Nets.
However, the Magic will have to deal with a more concerning takeaway from that game as starting point guard Elfrid Payton wasn’t able to play in the second half of that contest due to a strained hamstring, according to the Magic’s PR team Twitter account.
Elfrid Payton will not return in the second half due to a strained left hamstring.
— Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) October 21, 2017
Elfrid Payton left the game with only four points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field with four assists, a rebound, and a steal in 15 minutes of action. His injury puts his availability for tomorrow’s showdown with the defending Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers in jeopardy.
The severity of Payton’s hamstring issue is yet to be known, but in case he’ll need some time off to recover, the Magic will turn to the pair of Shelvin Mack and D.J. Augustin for much of the playmaking duties in the backcourt for the meantime.
This is a letdown news for Payton, who was solid in the Magic's season opener, scoring 13 points (6-of-12 from the floor) with nine assists and three steals in a 116-109 home win over the Miami Heat last Wednesday.
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