MINNEAPOLIS — The Warriors have always taken pride in being able to win games without Steph Curry.
This one might’ve been their most impressive ever.
Curry played 13 minutes of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday before straining his left hamstring — an injury that looms large for the rest of the series. Without their best player for most of the night, the Warriors still smothered the Timberwolves into a pitiful shooting performance and protected a hefty lead until the final horn of a 99-88 win.
Despite Curry’s injury, despite a significant rest disadvantage, despite being on the road, the Warriors stole Game 1 against the Timberwolves. Golden State held Minnesota to 5-for-29 (17%) from 3-point range and out-hustled the Timberwolves for a 10-rebound advantage on the glass.
Curry helped the Warriors to an early lead, and contributions from Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler stretched the edge to 23 points. They, along with key role player moments from Gary Payton II, Pat Spencer and Kevon Looney, staved off a second-half Minnesota run.
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After the win, Curry sat at his locker with headphones in before limping to the team bus. He’ll get an MRI on Wednesday that will determine the severity of his left hamstring strain.
“Talked to him at halftime, he’s obviously crushed,” head coach Steve Kerr said postgame. “But the guys picked him up and played a great game.”
Curry has never had a significant hamstring injury before. He has missed 12 career playoff games, and the Warriors are operating under the assumption that he’ll likely add to that total.
“We don’t know yet, but with a hamstring, it’s hard to imagine that he would play Thursday (in Game 2),” Kerr said.
According to injury analyst Jeff Stotts, a Grade 1 hamstring strain knocks an NBA player out for an average of 10 days. That might be the most mild result Wednesday’s MRI could turn up. If Curry has to miss 10 days, he’d be in line to return for Game 6 if applicable.
More severe hamstring strains carry recovery timetables of about a month.
“It’s not fun,” said Payton, who suffered a hamstring strain in 2024. “It’s uncomfortable day-to-day, especially early. You’ve got to get through the little rest period, got to let it heal.”
Curry appeared to suffer the injury on a defensive closeout in the second quarter. He stayed in the game initially, dishing a dime to Draymond Green for a 3-pointer. When he limped to the locker room, he told Green, ‘I’ll be back,’ Green said.
Without Curry in Game 1, the Warriors leaned into defense-forward lineups and took advantage of Minnesota’s rust. The Wolves missed their first 16 3-pointers, and Anthony Edwards scored just one point in the first half.
Because the Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers in five games, they had six days of rest before Game 1. They looked more aloof than energized, though.
Kerr tried eclectic lineup combinations out of necessity, scrambling for units that could give some scoring juice while Curry watched from the locker room. Jonathan Kuminga played 13 minutes and Spencer provided a lift at guard. Kerr played 12 guys before the final minute, when the game was over.
As Curry watched from the locker room, the Warriors put the ball in Butler’s hands. He finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He has a history of putting teams on his back in the playoffs, and will have to shoulder much more weight as long as Curry is sidelined.
Hield, Butler’s favorite playful punchline — Butler calls the veteran “Buddard” now — missed his first eight shots before dropping 16 points to spark a 36-point third quarter for the Warriors. His game-high 24 points came 48 hours after his heroic 33-point Game 7.
“Robin turned into Batman, and Alfred turned into Robin,” said Green, who was magnificent defensively even while battling foul trouble.
Minnesota went on an 18-5 run and trimmed the deficit to nine, but Butler found Hield for a three and Payton also knocked down a huge shot from the corner.
Golden State’s fourth-quarter possessions weren’t always pretty — the Warriors scored five points in the first six minutes of the frame — but they almost always went through Butler. Curry is the Warriors’ offensive engine, but Butler isolations and drives can be productive, too, if they have enough spacing around him. Butler rarely turns the ball over and routinely makes the right plays under pressure.
“Jimmy is, I think, as good as any star in the league at reading the game,” Kerr said. “Understanding how to control the tempo, control the time and score, understanding everything that’s happening. Putting the ball in his hands in a situation like that is pretty comforting.”
Even if Curry gets the best-case scenario diagnosis, the Warriors are preparing for him to miss time. They might have to dig up some Miami Heat tape from Butler’s iconic 2020 and 2023 runs to the Finals for new ideas on how to generate offense.
Stealing Game 1 at least buys the Warriors some time to extend the series for a possible Curry return.
“I think we all want 30 back, that’s for sure,” Butler said. “But we want him to do what’s best for himself, what’s best for our group in the long haul. Until then, we can hold down the fort. I know we can.”