Disaster struck the Golden State Warriors as Stephen Curry was officially ruled out for Games 2, 3 and 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Warriors announced that Curry will be re-evaluated in one week after his MRI showed he sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported Curry’s MRI result and recovery timeline.
The Warriors lead the series 1-0 after surviving Curry’s first-half exit with a 99-88 win over the well-rested but rusty Timberwolves.
Dr. Evan Jeffries, an NBA and NFL injury expert and owner of the San Diego-based Evolving Motion Physical Therapy, said the typical recovery timeline for Grade 1 hamstring strain is 7-10 days.
If Curry’s recovery goes well, a return is plausible at the end of the series, with Game 5 being eight days away and Game 6 12 days away.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters he’s meeting with his coaching staff today (Wednesday) to map out their game plan without Curry, while the rest of the team took the day off.
Kerr said he talked to Curry at halftime, and his star player was “obviously crushed” with the ill-timed injury.
Similar Situation, Different Circumstances
The Warriors were in a similar situation during their championship run in 2018 when Curry missed the first round and the start of the second round with a sprained MCL. But Kerr said the circumstances are different this time around.
“The difference at that time was we had an all-time NBA roster,” Kerr told reporters after surviving Game 1 without Curry in the second half. “Those days, we were well-equipped to handle the loss of Steph. When you can bring in Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala into the game to back up or take Steph’s minutes, you’re in pretty good shape.
But there is a lesson to learn [from that]. You have to understand what it takes to win a game without your best player and tonight was a good indication of that.”
Kerr praised his veterans for their leadership.
“Draymond [Green], Lon (Kevon Looney) and Jimmy [Butler] led the way just with the leadership on the sidelines, talking to the guys,” Kerr said.
Curry scored 13 points in 13 minutes to lead the Warriors’ strong start as they sat down on a 44-31 halftime cushion.
“Obviously, we’re all concerned about Steph, but it’s part of the game,” Kerr said. “Guys get hurt. You just move on. Our guys did a good job of moving on and getting a great win 48 hours after a Game 7 road win.”
Warriors Have Steph Curry’s Back
Getty Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors talks with Stephen Curry.
Green said it took a while before the grim update of the severity of Curry’s injury sank in.
“A little deflating, but we knew he had done a great job of helping us build a comfortable enough lead,” Green told reporters. “And Robin (Butler) turned into Batman. What y’all call Buddy? … Yeah, Alfred (Buddy Hield) turned into Robin, and they just filled in, so it was beautiful to see,” Green said with a smile. “And then everybody played great minutes.”
Hield picked up the scoring slack, delivering 22 of his 24 points in the second half. Butler added 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Green had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Looney came off the bench to grab six rebounds as the Warriors outrebounded the taller Timberwolves 51-41.
“Hopefully, we get Steph back, but regardless, if we get Steph back or not, that’s a really good team with a lot of pride and a lot of talent and the cohesiveness of that team has grown over the year and so they’re a together team and we know they’re gonna come out fighting.”
Kerr will have to lean on his veteran trio again and Hield while Curry is out as they brace for the Timberwolves’ comeback.
