Stephen Curry jogged into Target Center on fumes. Less than 48 hours earlier, he’d emptied the tank to drag the Warriors past Houston in Game 7, and now — after one measly travel day — he had to deal with a fresh Minnesota squad that had been binge‑watching film and icing their legs for nearly a week.

Tuesday night was supposed to be a low‑stress “steal‑one‑on‑the‑road” opportunity. Instead, the night gave us one of those gritty, grind-it-out Warriors wins that fans have come to know — and then hit us with a gut-punch.

Golden State walked away with a 99‑88 road win that had plenty to feel good about… right up until Curry grabbed the back of his leg and limped to the locker room, leaving everyone holding their breath.

Game 1 Wasn't Supposed to Go This Way

Tuesday marked the Warriors’ eighth game in just 16 days. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves had cruised past the Lakers in five and were living the playoff version of room service and recovery boots. If Golden State came out sluggish, no one would’ve blinked.

But that’s not what happened. Instead of sleepwalking through Game 1, the Warriors came out throwing jabs and body shots. Draymond Green locked in on defense like it was 2016 again. Buddy Hield started cold, but his movement without the ball was already putting pressure on Minnesota’s defense. Midway through the second quarter, Golden State ripped off a 17–2 run that quieted the crowd and put the Wolves on their heels.

That’s when the energy shifted. With around 8:40 left in the half, Curry — who’d already racked up 13 points in just 12 minutes — tried to slide over on defense after a Draymond three. But something didn’t feel right. He reached for the back of his leg and slowed to a limp. At first, he tried to shake it off. Even knocked down a jumper like nothing was wrong. But then he tapped his chest, called for a sub, and walked straight to the locker room.

The arena turned quiet real quick. But the Warriors’ bench didn’t flinch. If anything, they got louder. You could tell it clicked in the moment that they might have to finish this one without their star.

Game-Changing Plays, Wild Moments & Who Stepped Up

1. A Defensive Clinic When the Offense Went Dark

Golden State didn’t just beat Minnesota—they suffocated them. This wasn’t a shootout or a back‑and‑forth thriller. It was a full-on defensive stranglehold. The Warriors gave up just 11 points in the second quarter and held the Wolves to 31 total in the first half—the fewest they’ve ever allowed in the first half of a playoff game. That’s not just rare, that’s historic.

Draymond Green was in his bag, taking shifts guarding both Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert like it was nothing. He stonewalled drives, rotated at the perfect times, and basically played safety net for every breakdown. Jimmy Butler? He played bully-ball defense all night, especially on Anthony Edwards, who got hit with a shoulder or a forearm every time he tried to snake around a screen. And then there was Gary Payton II, who was glued to Minnesota’s guards like Velcro. The dude made life miserable for everyone he touched.

Minnesota, to their credit, kept firing from deep—but they weren’t finding the net. They started 0-for-15 from three and finished shooting a brutal 17% from beyond the arc. It didn’t matter how many open looks they created; nothing was falling, and every missed shot just fed more momentum to Golden State. That second quarter wasn’t just dominant—it was the kind of defense that sends a message. And without Curry on the court, it’s exactly what they needed to pull off the win.

2. Buddy Hield’s ‘Robin’ Impression

Hield opened the night in classic chaos-mode — he literally checked in wearing the wrong shorts. The refs had to pause the game while he sprinted back to the locker room to swap them out. Not exactly the smoothest way to start Game 1 of the Western Conference semis. And his play didn’t get much better early on either — seven straight misses right out the gate. But then halftime hit, and something flipped.

In the second half, Hield looked like he had unzipped a warmup suit and pulled out a flamethrower. He dropped 22 after the break, knocking down five threes and tossing up a couple of eye-popping heat-checks that felt straight out of a Steph highlight reel. The confidence was dripping.

He clearly hadn’t cooled down at all since Game 7 against Houston, where he torched the Rockets for 33 points and tied an NBA Game 7 record with nine threes. The guy went scoreless in Game 6, then morphed into a legend in Game 7, and now here he was in Minnesota, still burning.

After the win, Draymond joked about not having Steph and what the rest of the guys had to do to keep the lead:

Robin turned into Batman. And what y’all call Buddy? Alfred turned into Robin… it was beautiful to see.

That got a good pop from the media in the room. 

3. Butler the Make‑It‑Work Superstar

Curry might be the engine that makes the whole machine go, but Butler is the guy under the hood making sure all the bolts stay tight. When Steph went down, someone had to take the reins — and it wasn’t just about scoring. It was about setting the tone, keeping the offense afloat, and being the guy everyone could lean on. That’s what Jimmy did.

He finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists — solid numbers on paper, but they hit different when you factor in that he spent the entire night chasing Anthony Edwards through a maze of screens and holding his own on that end, too. He was doing it all. Controlling the pace, making the right reads, and finding ways to generate just enough offense to keep the lead intact.

The biggest moment? Late in the fourth, when Minnesota had clawed their way back within striking distance, Butler calmly rose up for a tough fadeaway over Jaden McDaniels with just over a minute left. Bucket.

That’s what Butler brings. Grit, leadership, and a level of confidence that keeps the rest of the group grounded. He didn’t try to become Steph. He just became the version of himself this team needed most — and that’s how you hold the fort until your star gets back.

4. Draymond’s Vintage Two‑Way Night

Eighteen points, eight boards, six assists, and about a hundred little things that’ll never show up on a stat sheet — but anyone watching knew exactly how important he was. This was vintage, 2016‑era Draymond. The version that made life hell for opposing offenses and anchored everything defensively.

He was barking out switches, covering up missed assignments, and jumping passing lanes like he had the Wolves' playbook memorized. Offensively, he picked his spots, and when Minnesota started to make a mini-run in the second half, who stepped up and buried a three from above the break to stop the bleeding? Draymond. That jumper might not look pretty, but when it drops at the perfect time, it feels like a dagger.

Stats in Context

Those numbers aren’t jaw-dropping for Golden State, but when you hold your opponent to five made threes all night, you don’t need to shoot the lights out yourself — especially when you win the battle on the boards and set the tone with defense.

But let’s be real: Minnesota’s shooting was historically bad, and it’s probably not going to stay that way. In their last two games, the Timberwolves have hit just 12 of their last 76 threes — that’s 15.8%, the worst two-game stretch in playoff history. That includes Game 5 against the Lakers, where they went 7-for-47, and Game 1 against the Warriors, where they started 0-for-15 and finished 5-for-29.

It wasn’t just the team that went cold. Anthony Edwards — Minnesota’s rising star — started 0-for-10 in Game 1 and finished 6-for-21 overall. He’s 1-for-16 from deep in his last two games.

The odds of both of those things happening again are pretty slim. Golden State can’t count on the Wolves missing everything they put up in Game 2.

And that’s where the Curry-sized gap really shows. Without Steph on the floor, the Warriors’ offense loses its shape. Everything slows down, spacing tightens, and the scoring dips hard. Just look at the on/off impact when Curry is out and it’s Butler trying to run the show solo:

It’s a drop-off across the board. Butler’s doing everything he can, but without Curry warping defenses, creating space, and keeping the ball flying around, it’s a grind. So yeah, the Warriors survived Game 1 thanks to an all-time ugly shooting night from Minnesota — but that cushion likely won’t be there again. And if it isn’t, Golden State’s going to need a lot more from everyone to keep holding the line while Steph heals.

When the Gut Punch Became Real

Grade 1 strains are the mildest, but they can still be high‑risk because of re‑injury. For now, the Warriors’ medical staff will ice the area, monitor swelling, and slowly introduce some light range-of-motion work to see how the hamstring responds. That’s the usual game plan, but the truth is: nobody really knows how Steph will respond, especially since this is the first time in his career he’s dealt with this type of injury.

The typical recovery time for a Grade 1 strain in the NBA is about 10 days — but even that can vary depending on the player, the leg affected, and the workload once they come back. The timeline doesn’t exactly do the Warriors any favors either. Game 2 is Thursday, Game 3 is Saturday, and Game 4 is Monday. That’s three games in six days.

Even in the best-case scenario, Steph probably isn’t back until Game 5 on Wednesday at the absolute earliest — or more realistically, Game 6 on Sunday when there’s finally a bit of a breather built into the schedule.

Can Golden State Hang On?

History says it’s doable — Golden State is 10–3 in playoff games without Curry dating back to 2016. But context is everything. Most of those wins came with a different core — back when Andre Iguodala was locking guys up, Shaun Livingston was automatic from the midrange, and Klay Thompson would occasionally turn into a flamethrower.

This version of the team isn’t built the same way. Now, everything leans heavily on Jimmy Butler logging big minutes, Buddy Hield keeping defenders honest with his outside shooting, and Draymond Green basically being five defenders in one.

Surviving a single game or even two without Steph? Sure, it’s possible — especially when Minnesota forgets how to shoot like they did in Game 1. But trying to squeeze out three wins without your best player while asking Butler to play 40+ minutes a night and Draymond to guard every position on the floor?

If Golden State wants to keep this thing alive until Curry’s hamstring is ready, they’re going to need near-perfect execution and enough juice left in the tank to push through.

What Changes on the Floor

1. Half‑Court Geometry – Without Curry’s gravity dragging two defenders 30 feet from the hoop, Minnesota can camp a weak‑side helper in the lane. Expect more Butler‑Green pick‑and‑rolls to force switches and get the big guys into space.

2. Shot Diet – Butler will hunt mid‑range post‑ups on Edwards/McDaniels, Hield will run a million off‑ball screens, and Kerr will dust off the old split‑action sets to free Payton/Kuminga as cutters.

3. Pace – Curry loves early‑clock pull‑ups. Without him, Golden State will grind: fewer transition threes, more late‑clock isos. That’s Minnesota’s comfort zone; they’re sixth in half‑court defensive efficiency.

The Road Ahead

Game 2 is the fork in the road for this entire series. If the Warriors steal another win in Minnesota, they head back to Chase Center up 2‑0, with three chances to close it out and the confidence that comes with doing it without their superstar. But if they drop Game 2? Then it’s a best‑of‑five series without their engine, and the pressure ratchets up immediately.

They don’t need to blow anyone out or look pretty doing it. They just need to scrap out a couple of wins to give Steph a chance to come back to a series that’s still alive.

And if Curry’s hamstring responds to treatment on the short side of the timeline, then Game 6 becomes the target. That would drop him right back into the fire, either to help close things out or save the season. But the only way that scenario matters is if the Warriors can stay afloat without him. That means defending their tails off, keeping turnovers low, and squeezing every ounce of offense they can from Butler, Hield, Draymond, and whoever else can give them a spark.

The Warriors Have Life — Now They Just Have to Keep It

This is what makes playoff hoops so damn fun — the chaos, the twists, the moments nobody saw coming. One minute, you’ve got a 37-year-old legend willing his team to a series win. The next, he’s grabbing the back of his leg, and the team’s rallying without him.

Look, Golden State isn’t the favorite here. Not without Steph. But this team’s been through too much over the years to be counted out that fast. They’ve got a ton of heart, they’ve got a great defense, and they’ve got enough pride to hold the line while their guy heals up.