Golden State Warriors talisman Stephen Curry will be doubtful for the Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves after suffering a hamstring strain in the opening game of the series. The Dubs registered a 99-88 win over Minnesota after Curry exited the visitors locker room at the Target Center with a limp on Tuesday.
He will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to know the extent of injury and is considered day-to-day by the team. Head coach Steve Kerr said Curry might not be able to recover in time for the second game.
“We don’t know yet,” Kerr said. “But with a hamstring, it’s hard to imagine that he would play Thursday.”
Curry was seen grabbing his left leg after scoring from a 14-foot floater with 8:48 remaining in the second quarter.
Curry told Draymond Green that he would be back but didn’t return from the locker room.
“We didn’t really know what was going on for a while,” Green said.
“He’s obviously crushed,” Kerr said. “But the guys picked him up and played a great game, and obviously we’re all concerned about Steph but it’s part of the game.”
Curry scored 13 points in 13 minutes he played and there is no doubt that his absence will leave a huge void in the second game.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler scored 20 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists for the Warriors. Furthermore, Buddy Hield scored 24 along with 8 rebounds. Butler is optimistic that the Warriors can hold their own without Curry.
“I think we all want [No.] 30 back, that is for sure,” Butler said. “But we want him to do his best for himself, best for our group. Until then, we can hold down the fort. I know we can.”
Green said the Warriors “won’t hit the panic buttons” if Curry has to miss Game 2.
“We know what Jimmy’s capable of,” Green said. “Jimmy’s capable of carrying a team. He carried a team to the Finals twice. So we won’t panic. We will figure out what that means. We have the best coaching staff in the NBA. We know they’ll put us in a good spot and let us know what our offense looks like without Steph if we have to go on without him. We got full confidence in the guys that are on this team that we can make plays, can make shots.”
The second game of the series will be played on Thursday.
