Stephen Curry will miss at least a week with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain he suffered on Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors announced on Wednesday.
The Warriors star headed to the locker room before halftime in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and did not return. Golden State still managed to secure a 99-88 win on the road to take a 1-0 series lead.
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The team confirmed that Curry was diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain on Wednesday, and said he will be evaluated again in one week. That means that Curry will miss at least Games 2, 3 and 4, and potentially Game 5 next Wednesday night. This is the first strained muscle of Curry’s career, too, so a timeline for his return will be dependent on his rehab.
After scoring a 14-foot floater with 8:48 remaining in the second quarter, Curry could be seen grabbing his leg and signaling to be subbed out. He remained on the floor for 29 seconds before play was stopped and he limped straight to the locker room.
“He’s obviously crushed,” Warriors head coach Steve 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.”
On top of his hamstring injury, Curry was already playing with an injured thumb on his shooting hand.
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Curry left the game with 13 points in 13 minutes. In his absence, Draymond Green anchored Golden State’s defense and forced Anthony Edwards to miss his first 10 shots from the field. Green also scored 18 points and hit four 3-pointers with eight rebounds and six assists.
Former Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler, whom the Warriors acquired from Miami at the trade deadline, nearly had a triple-double with 20 points, 11 boards and eight assists. Buddy Hield also made up for Curry’s absence with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Golden State sealed the second-round matchup with Minnesota after a thrilling seven-game series against a young Houston Rockets team.
