Warriors won't retaliate against Grizzlies after Brooks' flagrant foul on Payton
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday that there are no plans to strike back at the Memphis Grizzlies after Dillon Brooks' flagrant-2 foul caused guard Gary Payton II to suffer a fractured left elbow early in Game 2.
When asked if he had to warn his players about settling the score against the Grizzlies, the veteran bench boss quickly denied the notion.
"That’s not what we’re about," Kerr told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami following the Warriors' 106-101 loss. "I’m a big believer in karma, and I think there’s no way we’re ever going to try to injure anybody. We’re going to play hard, we’re going to compete, but we respect the fact that players are out there playing for their livelihood. They’re playing for their team and their families."
After the game, the Warriors announced that Payton fractured his left elbow. An MRI is scheduled for Wednesday to determine the injury's severity.
Brooks fouled Payton on a transition layup with less than three minutes left in the first quarter. The 26-year-old made contact with Payton's head, resulting in an awkward landing for the breakout guard and Brooks' ejection.
Golden State now has significant injuries to three of its most important defenders. On top of Payton's injury, former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green suffered an eye injury 14 seconds after Payton went down. Green received stitches on his right eye, but Kerr said the ailment impacted the big man. Veteran forward Andre Iguodala is also out with a neck injury and has only appeared in three games in the playoffs.
The Grizzlies capitalized on the injuries, with Ja Morant matching his playoff career high of 47 points.
The series shifts to the Bay Area for Game 3 on Saturday, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.