The Golden State Warriors will face the Houston Rockets in the first-round tiebreaker on Sunday night, but there was bad news before the game: guard Gary Payton II will miss this crucial game due to illness.

Head coach Steve Kerr revealed at the pre-game press conference that Payton's physical condition is not optimistic.

Kerr said helplessly: "He is very sick. He felt uncomfortable when he got up early this morning. He did not participate in shooting training and could not eat at all. There is no doubt that he can't play today. This is a big blow to us."

Payton was a substitute in the first five games of the series, but was promoted to the starting lineup in Game 6. He scored 16 points in Game 3 to help the Warriors beat the Rockets 104-93.

Faced with the sudden changes, Kerr admitted that Payton's absence will affect the team's rotation arrangements.

Kerr said: "We can only 'take east and make up west'. He has been one of our very key players in this series. We are now studying various lineup combinations. There will definitely be several players who will get more playing time, but I will not disclose the specific candidates for the time being."