Warriors Lose Curry, Still Beat Minnesota to Take Game One

In the NBA, the best teams are the ones that can win on any given night. There are many star players in the current league who are all able to carry their roster through tough times.

However, there aren’t too many franchises who can win when their best player goes cold.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Enter the Golden State Warriors.

Heading into a tough round two matchup against the Timberwolves, they knew they were outsized all over the court.

They also knew a young Minnesota team playing in front of their home crowd would come out strong and put them on the back foot early.

What they didn’t know is that Stephen Curry would leave the game with a tweaked hamstring and finish with just 13 points. They also didn’t know they would win.

A Most Surprising Outcome

Despite being the lower seed, the Warriors started the game strong.

While they lost the first quarter by two points, they battled hard in the face of adversity and strung together a few well-rounded possessions. Then, Curry went down.

Early in the second quarter, the star guard grabbed the back of his left leg after hitting one of his signature step back three pointers

While he played through the pain for a few minutes, even scoring a 14-foot floater to extend the Warriors then-lead, he quickly motioned to the bench that he couldn’t stay in the game. He didn’t return.

While Curry leaving seemed to be the end of the Warriors, Golden State proved resilient

They once again showed they can win in numerous ways by holding the Timberwolves to just 11 points in the second quarter and going up by three at the half.

Without their leader in the next half, they managed to keep their lead through a combination of tough defense and tough play.

Rather than let Minnesota’s size wear them down, the Warriors stood strong, got everyone involved, and found ways to score.

It was enough to hold off a late rally by Minnesota and end up with a key 99-88 first game win.

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The Supporting Cast

While the Warriors are undoubtedly better with Curry, the win is perhaps their best game of the season.

The odds were stacked against them, but they managed to push through by switching over to a lead-by-committee style of approach.

Everyone contributed on Tuesday night. Buddy Hield, fresh off of his strong performance in game seven against Houston, led the way with 24 points.

Jimmy Butler added 20, which was then backed up by 18 from Draymond Green.

Those three made up the bulk of the offense, with a few other players kicking in here and there

Hield and Green are not typically the two the Warriors go to when the chips are down.

Their scoring, not to mention stepping up to fill a gigantic hole, were a testament to their experience more than anything else.

Green hit several threes, and Hield didn’t back down from the moment

The Wolves are a much younger team than Golden State. They have a lot of raw athleticism, but the Warriors showed in the first game why seasoned veterans are so important in the postseason.

Locking Down

The Warriors' surprising offense will get most of the attention from the first game, but their defense went a long way too.

They did a solid job against Minnesota, allowing their three stars to score and shutting down everyone else.

Anthony Edwards put up 23, Julius Randle had 18, and Naz Reid had 19

They only had one other player (Jaden McDaniels) in double digits. They got very little help, mainly due to Golden State doing a great job of denying passes and pressuring off the ball.

They might not be able to stretch Minnesota’s offense like that every game, but it set a good blueprint for how to attack (and beat) the Timberwolves without needing to go big.

Waiting on an Injury Report

The Warriors are no doubt excited about their early victory, but right now all eyes are locked on Stephen Curry. Hamstring injuries can linger, especially for older players.

Losing the guard for a week or more could very well end the Warriors’ hopeful season

The guard plans to have an MRI on Wednesday. Until then, his status is day-to-day and the Warriors don’t expect him to be able to play in the next game.

“He’s obviously crushed,” said head coach Steve Kerr. “...Obviously we’re all concerned about Steph, but that’s part of the game. Guys get hurt, and you move on.”

Moving on is exactly what the Warriors don’t want to do. Still, if they do need to go a game or two without their point guard, they have a decent cast to fall back on.

Jimmy Butler is a great leader as well, and he’s more than ready to step up to the challenge

“We all want ‘30’ back,” the guard said. “Until then, we can all hold down the fort.”