The Golden State Warriors stunned the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday despite losing star Stephen Curry to a hamstring injury. Now, they’ll have to prove they can do it again.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr offered a pessimistic injury update on Curry following the team’s 99-88 win in Game 1 of the West semifinal series. While Curry was deemed day-to-day with the injury, Kerr doesn’t expect the star shooter to be available for Game 2.
“We don’t know yet,” Kerr said. “But with a hamstring, it’s hard to imagine that he would play Thursday.”
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Curry will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to determine the full extent of the injury. Even if it’s mild, the quick turnaround — the Warriors are off Wednesday before getting back on the court Thursday — makes it unlikely Curry will play.
Curry left Game 1 in the first half due to the injury. He was unable to return to the contest and played just under 13 minutes in the win. Curry finished the game with 13 points.
In his absence, Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler stepped up to lead the Warriors. Hield led all scorers with 24 points and Butler chipped in with a near triple-double, scoring 20 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out eight assists.
While Butler’s presence certainly boosts the Warriors’ chances, even he knows how important it is to have Curry on the court. Following the win, Butler said the team wants its “best player” back.
“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.”
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Despite Curry’s absence, the Warriors still managed to pull out the win, though it helped that Minnesota got out to a sloppy start. The Timberwolves scored just 31 points in the first half, causing coach Chris Finch to call out star Anthony Edwards after the game. Edwards had just one point at halftime. He bounced back in the second half, finishing the game with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Though they pulled out the win, the Warriors will hope Curry can return sooner rather than later. Tuesday proved the team can still get the job done without their star player, but that’s not a sustainable formula for any team, especially in the playoffs.
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