The Golden State Warriors suffered a huge setback early in the second quarter of Game 1 in their Round 2 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves when Steph Curry exited with a left hamstring strain — an injury that immediately ruled him out for the rest of the game.
Warriors fans now face growing concern over Curry’s availability for the rest of the series, which some analysts believe could stretch all the way to a Game 7.
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Injury analyst Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes on X) pointed out that this marks Steph Curry’s first notable hamstring issue, outlining recovery timelines — with Grade 1 strains typically costing about 10 days and more severe ones potentially sidelining players for up to a month.
“Severity of the strain will ultimately dictate how much time Steph Curry potentially misses. Average time lost for confirmed G1 strain is ~10 days. That jumps to ~31 days for G2 strains. Time lost for nondescript strains is ~12 days,” he said.
This timeline matters especially since the series schedule allows very little recovery time, with just one rest day between most games — Game 2 is on Thursday, Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday.
Should the series go the distance, Games 5 through 7 are slated for May 14, May 18 and May 20, respectively.
John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.
He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university’s official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.
A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant’s departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.
He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson’s record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.
