The Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry for at least the next three games after an MRI showed he has a mild strain in his left hamstring.
Curry got injured in the second quarter of Game 1 against Minnesota on Tuesday night and couldn’t continue. He had already scored 13 points in 13 minutes and helped the team gain a strong lead. The Warriors ended up winning the game 99-88 and took the home-court advantage.
Coach Steve Kerr said, “In the playoffs, you always have to adjust—whether it’s to an injury or a new strategy. We’ve been through this before and believe we can handle it again.”
Game 2 will be played in Minneapolis on Thursday. Then the series moves to San Francisco for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday. The earliest Stephen Curry might return is Game 5 on May 14. After that, there will be a three-day break before Game 6 on May 18.
Curry has never had a serious hamstring injury before, so no one is sure how long he’ll be out. The Warriors will need to stay strong without him if they want him back for the end of the series. But they can’t count on that happening.
Coach Steve Kerr said, “We believe we have the best defense in the league, and we’ve proven it recently.”
Also Read: Indian Government and PKL Aim to Globalise Local Sports
In past playoffs, Curry missed some games due to injuries, but the team still made the NBA Finals. In 2016, they lost the championship to Cleveland in seven games. In 2018, they beat Cleveland easily. During those times without Curry, the Warriors still had a strong team and went 9-3.
This current team is different. Back then, Curry and Draymond Green were younger, and Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala played big roles. By 2018, Kevin Durant was also on the team.
Right now, the Warriors are happy with their full-team effort in Game 1. Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield, and Draymond Green led the way, and Coach Kerr used 12 players during the game.
With Curry out, Butler will handle the ball most of the time. He scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had 8 assists in Game 1. Since joining the team from Miami, Butler has helped improve both offense and defense.
Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said, “Now, everyone on the Warriors is trying to make plays. You have to stay focused because they’re not just looking for Curry anymore. Buddy and Jimmy are going to be more aggressive, and other players can score too. They’ll try to win as a team.”