One of the most important series in the West continues on Saturday as the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves head to the Chase Center for Game 3. With the series tied at 1-1, it’s anyone’s to win, but having Stephen Curry would certainly tip the scales in the Warriors’ favor. According to the latest update from Shams Charania, Steph is making steady progress in his recovery, and he could be back as early as Game 6 for the Warriors.
“It’s a hamstring strain,” said Charania on the Pat McAfee Show. “I’m sure you know that the hamstring is not an injury you play with. He has really been limited to just doing treatment, and he’s gonna be reevaluated on Wednesday, which means he’s definitely out for Game 2, Game 3, Game 4. He’s going to miss at least three games. My understanding is this is not going to be a possibility until Game 6 at the earliest for Steph Curry. Maybe you get Stephen Curry back then, but this is the first strain of the hamstring that Stephen Curry has ever had in his NBA career.”
Curry, 37, is coming off another elite season for the Warriors, with averages of 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game on 44.8% shooting. He led his team to 48 wins in the regular season to secure the 7th seed and a spot in the play-in tournament.
Today, weeks later, the Warriors are one of eight teams remaining in the playoffs, and Curry has been essential to their success. In eight games so far, Steph is averaging 22.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, but it remains to be seen if he’ll return after Tuesday’s injury.
Doctors are calling it a Grade 1 hamstring strain, and the typical recovery time can range from days to weeks. Since Curry has never experienced a hamstring injury before, the Warriors are expected to exercise extra caution to prevent a premature return.
What this means for Curry is that he will miss at least four games in this series, with three more still left to play without him. As their primary scorer and playmaker offensively, the Warriors are going to struggle without Steph, and we saw how lost they were in Game 2.
The game, which was a 24-point blowout in favor of the Timberwolves, gave us a taste of what the Warriors could do without No. 30, and it did not spell good news for the organization. They scored just 93 points in the loss, going 9-32 from beyond the arc in an abysmal shooting display.
In the end, it’s clear that the Warriors can only get so far without their superstar point guard. He’s not just their leading scorer; he’s also their entire identity offensively, and without him, they cannot hope to keep up against Anthony Edwards and the red-hot Timberwolves.
Fortunately, after winning Game 1, the Warriors guaranteed a Game 5, and if they can just win one more out of the next three games, it will give Curry a chance to return before the end of the series. If not, the writing may already be on the wall for the Warriors, who had to fight for the 7th seed in the West.
