MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Golden State star Stephen Curry was sidelined by a strained left hamstring early in the second quarter at Minnesota, and the Warriors were bracing for an extended absence of their sharpshooting leader after opening the series by beating the Timberwolves 99-88 on Tuesday.
Curry will have an MRI on Wednesday. His status is day to day, but coach Steve Kerr acknowledged it’s unlikely he’ll be available to play in Game 2 on Thursday.
“He´s obviously crushed, but the guys picked him up and played a great game,” Kerr said. “Obviously we´re all concerned about Steph, but that´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 48 hours after a Game 7 road win. It´s an amazing group of guys. They compete. They´re together.”
Curry started grabbing at the back of his left leg early in the second quarter shortly after hitting a 26-foot step-back 3-pointer. He powered through some discomfort for a bit, and after getting a 14-foot floater to fall for a 27-20 lead he started motioning to the bench that he needed to come out.
Once a timeout by the Timberwolves finally stopped the clock, Curry jogged gingerly to the locker room with 13 points in 13 minutes on 5-for-9 shooting.
“A little deflating, but we knew he did a great job of helping us build a comfortable lead,” teammate Draymond Green said.
The 37-year-old Curry helped Golden State beat Houston in Game 7 of their first-round series two nights earlier. Going the distance after taking a 3-1 lead in that series cost Curry and the Warriors some valuable rest time, and there´s only one day off between games for the first five games. There are three off days between Game 5 on May 14 and Game 6 on May 18.
After a five-year period during which he had a hard time staying healthy, with a variety of injuries to both hands and feet, Curry played in 70 games this season after logging 74 games last season. The four-time NBA champion and 11-time All-Star averaged 24 points per game against the Rockets for the sixth-seeded Warriors.
The spirits were high for the Warriors in the aftermath of their all-hands-on-deck dismantling of the Wolves, despite the ominous departure of their most important player.
“We have the best coaching staff in the NBA. We know they´ll put us in a good spot,” said Jimmy Butler, who finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. “We all want `30´ back. Until then, we can all hold down the fort.”
