After departing Game 1 of the playoff series between the Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night at Target Center with a hamstring injury, Steph Curry did not need to say a single word to his colleagues at halftime. Since his injury early in the second quarter, he had been sitting in the visitors’ locker room.
Everything was quite clear in the face of Curry as Steve Kerr, the coach of the Warriors and the mentor of NBA Player Buddy Hield, and the players came in during the halftime break. A recent piece by Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic reports on Kerr watching Curry, who was sobbing, and instead of talking, embraced his star point guard emotionally. After the Warriors’ 99-88 triumph,
Kerr told Thompson that he feels bad for him and everything that he does, as well as how much he cares. Kerr has also mentioned that Curry was at his locker and was icing his injury
Kerr said that Curry was at his locker, icing his wearing headphones, so none of the team members spoke to him during halftime. Without their best player, the Golden State coach could only tell Gary Payton II he would start in place of Curry for the second half and plan for the last 24 minutes of the game. Curry departed the game after 13 points in 13 minutes. Through eight games on Golden State’s ongoing playoff run, he is averaging 22.6 points, 47.7 per cent from the field, 40 per cent from beyond the arc, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals in 35.1 minutes.
Curry’s MRI on Wednesday morning revealed a Grade 1 left hamstring strain; she will miss at least one week and therefore miss at least Games 2, 3, and 4. Next Wednesday, Game 5 is set in Minnesota. Game 6, should it be required, will be held Sunday, May 18, at the Chase Center in San Francisco.