Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry left Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals early on Tuesday night after suffering a left hamstring injury. Curry limped off the court and was later ruled out for the rest of the game.
The injury occurred in the second quarter of the matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. Curry pulled up while playing defense and grabbed his left hamstring. He attempted to continue playing briefly but appeared uncomfortable, reaching for his leg again after missing a shot.
Curry then signaled for a substitution and walked directly to the locker room during the next stoppage in play. Social media captured video of him heading off the court.The Warriors announced he would not return, diagnosing the issue as a left hamstring strain. The severity of the injury and how long Stephen Curry will be sidelined remains unclear. Before exiting, he had recorded 13 points, one rebound, and one assist while shooting 5-of-9 from the field, including three 3-pointers.
The timing of the injury comes after the Warriors secured a road win in Game 7 of their previous series just 48 hours earlier. Curry played 46 minutes in that contest, and the schedule in this series features only one day of rest between games until after Game 5, limiting recovery time.
Minnesota also saw forward Naz Reid leave the game in the first half with an apparent hamstring injury after diving for a loose ball. Reid returned to the bench for the second half and was listed as available.
Despite Stephen Curry's absence for most of the first half, the Timberwolves struggled offensively. Minnesota scored only 11 points in the second quarter, finishing the half with 31 points.
The Warriors took a 44-31 lead into halftime. The 31 points allowed was the fewest in team history in the shot clock era.
