Despite losing star Stephen Curry to a hamstring injury in the first half, the Golden State Warriors still made it past the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
But if Curry is sidelined for an extended period of time, the series could flip instantly.
The Warriors held on to grab a 99-88 win over the Timberwolves in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series at the Target Center on Tuesday after what was an abysmal first half from Minnesota. That gave the Warriors the early lead as they attempt to make it back to a conference finals for the first time since their championship run in 2022.
“We want Steph back, I’ll tell you that,” Jimmy Butler said on TNT after the win. “It’s hard playing without that man.”
When asked what he learned from Game 1, Butler responded: “That Steph is our best player.”
Warriors lose Stephen Curry early
Curry limped off the court in Minneapolis in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. He suddenly pulled up and reached for the back of his left leg while on defense, but he powered through briefly. He tried to bring the ball up the court on the next possession and, while appearing a bit uncomfortable handling the ball, reached for it again after missing a floater in the middle of the lane.
Curry then called for a sub as he ran back on defense, clearly bothered by his left leg. He limped off and went straight to the locker room at the next timeout.
Steph Curry went back to the locker room after experiencing an apparent leg injury.
(via @BleacherReport)
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The Warriors quickly ruled him out of the game with a left hamstring strain before halftime. Curry had 13 points, one rebound and one assist while shooting 5-of-9 from the field with three 3-pointers when he left.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the game Curry will be considered day-to-day for now, and he will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
“He’s obviously crushed, but the guys picked him up and played a great game,” Kerr said. “Obviously, we’re all concerned about Steph, but it’s a part of the game. Guys get hurt, and you move on.”
But, despite having an opportunity with Curry out of the picture, the Timberwolves completely fell flat. They scored just 11 points in the second quarter and then entered halftime with 31 points. That marked the fewest the Warriors have ever allowed in the shot-clock era in a half in team history. Anthony Edwards struggled, too. He had just a single point and shot 0-of-8 from the field in the first 24 minutes, and the Timberwolves went 0-of-15 from behind the arc.
Though the Timberwolves’ offense finally showed up in the second half, it was too late. The Warriors fended off their push successfully down the stretch in the third quarter and pushed their lead to 20 by the end of the period.
Though the Timberwolves opened the fourth quarter on a 16-5 run and cut the game back to single digits, that push didn’t last. The Warriors responded one last time after Buddy Hield — who accidentally started the game with the wrong shorts on — and Butler hit back-to-back buckets. They went on a defensive stand, too, and held the Timberwolves without a field goal for nearly four minutes to take control again. That was just enough for the Warriors to hang on to an 11-point win.
Edwards finished with 23 points, almost all of which came in the second half, and 14 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Julius Randle added 18 points, and Naz Reid put up 19 points off the bench. Minnesota finished 5-of-29 from the 3-point line.
Hield led the Warriors with 24 points and seven rebounds after he shot 5-of-8 from the 3-point line. Jimmy Butler finished just shy of a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and Draymond Green also finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
If Curry is out for any significant amount of time, it could quickly alter the series. The Warriors are just 48 hours removed from their road win over the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of the previous series, so Curry didn’t have much rest. He played 46 minutes in that contest. With only one day of rest between each game in this series until after Game 5, there isn’t a lot of time for Curry to recover.
Game 2 of the series is set for Thursday night. And, at least for now, Kerr doesn’t expect Curry to be there.
“We’re definitely game-planning for him to not be available on Thursday,” Kerr said, via The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver. “We don’t know yet. With a hamstring [injury], it’s hard to imagine he would play Thursday.”
