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Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will miss at least a week with a left hamstring strain he suffered in the team's 99-88 Game 1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. While Curry will be out for the next three games due to this injury, he was at the Warriors' shootaround on Thursday morning ahead of a key Game 2 matchup in Minnesota.
Curry was smiling and interacting with his teammates, and he was even assisting as a passer in some shooting drills.
The two-time MVP also spoke with reporters for the first time since injuring his hamstring. Upon being questioned about when he would resume basketball activities, Steph clarified that he and the Warriors will be careful with his treatment and potential return.
“This is new. From all that I’m learning about how quickly you can get back, there has to be a healing process,” Curry said regarding his hamstring injury, via 95.7 The Game in San Francisco. “It's just the way the body works. You can't accelerate it more than what it's telling you, so it will be one of those… after a week, like, really re-evaluating every day to understand when it's safe just to even think about playing, let alone how much can you push it.”
The Warriors star said there is no clear timetable for his return, nor has a target date been determined.
“Eventually, there will be conversations like that. But I’m not anywhere close to that,” Curry said in response to a question about the temptation he feels to get back on the court, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Like I said, there has to be a natural healing process.
“Sometimes your body will tell you even if you're able to do normal basketball movements and things and all of that stuff. And I know how tricky hamstrings can be where they can fool you, and (you) think it's healed even if you don't feel anything. That gray area will be confusing for sure. I'm going to do everything in my power to get back as soon as possible.”
Warriors' outlook without Stephen Curry
Golden State announced on Wednesday that Curry suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain and would be re-evaluated in one week. It is unlikely that he will be able to return to full capacity upon being re-evaluated by the team's medical personnel, but Steph will miss the next three games at the minimum.
Curry left the Warriors' Game 1 win in Minnesota during the second quarter after pulling up and knocking down a floater in the lane with about 8:48 left on the clock. Immediately, Steph grabbed at his left hamstring and pointed to the Warriors' bench, signaling that he needed to come out of the game.
At the next dead ball, Curry gingerly walked off the court and went straight to the team's locker room before the team quickly ruled him out for the game with this left hamstring strain.
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After their Game 1 win, head coach Steve Kerr did not have much of an update on Curry's health other than the fact that Steph was “crushed” about the injury.
“I talked to him at halftime. He's obviously crushed,” Kerr said. “Obviously, we're all concerned about Steph, but it's part of the game. Guys get hurt, and you move on. Our guys did a great job of moving on and getting a great win.
“It's amazing group of guys. These guys compete, they're together, and we've been the best defense in the league since the Jimmy trade. That's what's keeping us afloat.”
This is truly an injury where the Warriors and Curry will see how he is doing every day. That is why no firm target date for his potential return has been announced and why Curry isn't having conversations about returning quite yet.
Without Curry on the floor, Jimmy Butler becomes the obvious top option for the Warriors offensively. However, it will be a team effort to get past the Timberwolves without the two-time MVP. Golden State will need continued contributions from Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and others.
More importantly, the Warriors will need their high-intensity defense to set the tone in this series, as they have held their opponents under 90 points in back-to-back games.
Curry, who has also been battling an injured thumb throughout the playoffs, will remain with the team and act as an extension of the coaching staff while he recovers from his hamstring injury.
Whether Curry will potentially be able to return, if at all, in this series remains the biggest question surrounding the NBA Playoffs as a whole.
