RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Sitting side by side in the Orlando Magic’s locker room prior to Saturday’s exhibition game against Flamengo, Elfrid Payton passed the time by watching videos on his phone, while Aaron Gordon zoned out listening to music on his Beats headphones.
Both needed the distractions to mask their frustration and get them through another night that they would be out of game action. However, both Payton (sore hamstring) and Gordon (general soreness) were confident that had Saturday’s game been a regular season game, they would have been playing for the Magic. For now, though, patience is the name of the game while their minor injuries heal.