Despite the loss of Star Stephen Curry because of an ischio-injury injury first half, the Golden State Warriors have always exceeded the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday evening.
But if Curry is sidelined for an extended period, the series could return instantly.
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The warriors were held to grasp A 99-88 victory On the Timberwolves in match 1 of their series of semi-finals of the Western Conference at the Target Center on Tuesday after what was a terrible first half of Minnesota. This gave the Warriors the first advance as they try to return to a conference final for the first time since their championship in 2022.
“We want to come back Steph, I'm going to tell you,” said Jimmy Butler on TNT after the victory. “It's hard to play without this man.”
When asked what he had learned from match 1, Butler replied: “This Steph is our best player.”
Stephen Curry only played 12 minutes in match 1 of the semi-finals of the West Conference Tuesday evening in Minneapolis. (Photo by David Berding / Getty Images)
(David Berding via Getty Images)
Warriors lose Stephen Curry early
Curry drink on the ground in Minneapolis in the second quarter with an injury to the hamstrings. He suddenly stopped and handed his hand towards the back of his left leg in defense, but he briefly crossed. He tried to lift the ball on the field on the following possession and, while seeing a little uncomfortable by manipulating the ball, reached it again after missing a float in the middle of the track.
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Curry then called a submarine while he was running in defense, clearly embarrassed by his left leg. He was drinking and went directly to the locker room at the next step.
The Warriors quickly took it out of the game with a tension of the left hamstrings before half-time. Curry collected 13 points, a rebound and a decisive pass by pulling 5 out of 9 on the field with three 3 points when he left.
The Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that after the match, Curry would be considered on a daily basis for the moment, and that he will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
“He is obviously crushed, but the guys picked him up and played a big match,” said Kerr. “Obviously, we are all concerned about Steph, but that is part of the game. The guys are injured, and you are moving forward.”
But, despite the occasion with Curry out of the image, the Timberwolves fell flat. They scored only 11 points in the second quarter, then entered half-time with 31 points. This has the least marked that the Warriors have never authorized in the era of shooting in one in the history of the team. Anthony Edwards also had trouble. He had just one point and pulled 0 out of 8 on the field in the first 24 minutes, and the Timberwolves went 0 on 15 behind the arc.
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Although the Timberwolves offensive finally appeared in the second half, it was too late. The Warriors successfully pushed their push into the section in the third quarter and pushed their lead to 20 at the end of the period.
Although the Timberwolves opened the fourth quarter on a 16-5 race and reduced the game to one figure, this push did not last. The Warriors responded one last time after Buddy Hield – which accidentally started the game with the bad shorts on – And Butler hit consecutive buckets. They also made a defensive stand and also held the Timberwolves aimlessly on the ground for almost four minutes to regain control. It was just enough for the Warriors to cling to an 11 -point victory.
Edwards finished with 23 points, almost all in the second half and 14 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Julius Randle added 18 points and Naz Reid filed 19 points on the bench. Minnesota finished 5 out of 29 on the 3 -point line.
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Hield led the Warriors with 24 points and seven rebounds after shooting 5 out of 8 from the 3 -point line. Jimmy Butler finished a little shy with a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and Draymond Green also finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
If Curry is absent for a significant time, he could quickly change the series. The Warriors are only 48 hours of their victory on the road against Houston's Rockets in match 7 of the previous series, so Curry was not resting much. He played 46 minutes in this competition. With only one day of rest between each game in this series until match 5, there is not much time to recover Curry.
Match 2 of the series is scheduled for Thursday evening. And, at least for the moment, Kerr does not expect Curry to be there.
“We are definitely planning the game so that it is not available on Thursday,” said Kerr, Via Ben Golliver from Washington Post. “We don't know yet. With an ischio-leg (injury), it is difficult to imagine that it would play Thursday.”
