Despite Steve Kerr's Concerns on Gary Payton's Availability, Golden State Warriors Progress to The Second Round of Playoffs

In a tough first round playoff battle against the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors have finally emerged victorious in seven games. However, before heading into the game, it was doubtful if the Dubs could even close out the series at this juncture. The Warriors were not at their fullest strength ahead of today's game, with Gary Payton II being ruled out just hours ahead of the game.

As per head coach Steve Kerr, Payton Jr. was suffering from serious illness ahead of the game's start. This added up to the Warriors' already existing injury woes, with Stephen Curry's thumb issues and Branding Podziemski''s food poisoning scare before Game 2.

“He's just sick as a dog. He woke up ill, didn't go shootaround, and he hasn't eaten. No way he can play,” said Kerr, reasoning with Gary Payton II's absence from today's game.

Gary Payton's absence meant that the Warriors had to reshuffle their rotation and bring in players whose minutes had fallen out in the past couple of weeks. One among such was Jonathan Kuminga, who was averaging 15.3 points per game when he was getting minutes in the regular season. However, his time on the floor sharply dipped since Jimmy Butler's arrival to the team. So, how did the Warriors fair with such rotations in this crucial Game 7? Let's find out.

How Did the Warriors Win Game 7 Against Houston Rockets Without Gary Payton II?

With Gary Payton being ruled out, Jonathan Kuminga was called upon to fill in the role. Kuminga had earlier appeared in Game 2 and 3 of the series but remained benched since then. In this Game 7 matchup, Kuminga wasn't anything great, missing back-to-back layups in a high stakes elimination game. However, he had zero impact in this win against Houston.

Steve Kerr had put Kuminga under DNP-CD status for multiple games. Many fans might have viewed throwing the 22-year old in a must-win Game 7 scenario to be a gamble. However, Kerr reiterated that he always had plans to include Kuminga in his decision and all such changes weren't any last minute decisions at all.

Stephen Curry, on the other hand, had a rather slow start to the night. He could only score three points in the first half. However, the Dubs saw a new shooter emerge as Buddy Hield stepped up to add 22 points in the first half, finishing the night with 33 points and a Game-7 record with nine three-pointers.

Curry as well, scored 22 points in this game with his shooting splurge in the fourth quarter. Jimmy Butler added 20 points of his own, winning the game by a significant margin. With this win, the Warriors became the third No.7 seed to knock off a No.2 seed in the playoffs in the 21st century, with the Los Angeles Lakers doing the same in 2023 and the San Antonio Spurs in 2010.