Zaza Pachulia was forced to sit out of Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs with a heel contusion injury suffered in the first quarter of Game 2.
The Golden State Warriors center seemed to have picked an excellent time to grab a comfy seat at the bench after the onslaught of hate from San Antonio fans after being the latest culprit of Kawhi Leonard‘s left ankle injury, which has now kept him out of two-and-a-half games.
Upon revealing the news of his Game 3 absence, Warriors acting coach Mike Brown couldn't help but throw in his usual humor along with the announcement.
“We decided to sit him out so he wouldn't get booed,” a joking Brown told reporters, per Connor LeTourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Fans at the AT&T Center were likely chomping at the bit to boo and mock Pachulia upon his arrival to the arena, as one particular fan has gone as far as to sue him and Golden State for his negligent closeout on Leonard.
Teammate Kevin Durant called his center a “grown-ass man” that could handle the pressure of a hostile arena in a previous interview.
Luckily for Pachulia, the amount of boos were minimal, but the impact of his backup, JaVale McGee, who started in his place, was felt throughout the first quarter — finishing with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor.
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