Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II's night is over against the Houston Rockets. Payton suffered a lower-body injury in the first half of the contest and was later ruled out for the remainder of the matchup at Chase Center in San Francisco.
“Warriors say Gary Payton II (sprained left ankle) will not return to tonight's game vs. Houston,” Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints shared via a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Payton saw just a total of five minutes of action versus the Rockets, posting just an assist and a rebound, while missing his only shot attempt from the floor. Rookie guard Will Richard, who was part of the Dubs' starting unit, entered the game after Payton exited.
Payton's banged-up foot adds to the injury woes of the Warriors, who are already playing the Rockets without the services of forward Jonathan Kuminga and Al Horford because of knee and back issues, respectively. Draymond Green was questionable for the contest but eventually received the green light to suit up and play against Houston.
Payton has been a fixture for Golden State's second unit in the 2025-26 NBA season, with only a start in 19 games so far. He entered the Rockets game averaging 3.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals on 11.4 minutes per outing. Should he need more time to heal up from his injury, that would be a significant hit to Golden State's depth, particularly in the Stephen Curry-led backcourt.
With Thanksgiving Day break on Thursday and another rest day on Friday for the Warriors, Payton will have ample time to recover from his injury, assuming that it's not serious. Golden State's next game will be on Saturday when they host the New Orleans Pelicans.
