The Golden State Warriors were dealt a serious blow Wednesday as superstar guard Stephen Curry was ruled out for at least a week with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. The team confirmed that Curry will miss a minimum of the first four games of their Western Conference Semifinals matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Game 4 tips off Monday, May 12, and while there’s hope he could return later in the series, no definitive timeline has been set.

Curry suffered the injury late in the second quarter of Game 1, a gritty road win in Minneapolis. After drilling a three and hustling back on defense, Curry came up hobbling. He stayed in the game briefly—long enough to knock down a floater—but then signaled to the bench and limped to the locker room. He didn’t return.

Steph Curry has been ruled OUT for the remainder of Game 1 with a hamstring injury. According to @ProFootballDoc the worry is not this game but how long. Only way he returns soon if it was a cramp/tightness. Any hamstring strain is multi games or series and beyond. pic.twitter.com/9msrshrhS0

— Sports Injury Central (@SICscore) May 7, 2025

The series schedule doesn’t do Golden State many favors, with games coming every other day through Game 5. However, the break between Games 5 (May 14) and 6 (May 18) could offer Curry just enough time to make a late-series return—if everything goes right in rehab.

“We’re preparing like he won’t be available for Thursday,” head coach Steve Kerr said postgame. “With a hamstring, it’s tough to picture him playing on short rest.”

Before exiting, Curry looked sharp—dropping 13 points in 13 minutes, setting the tone early for the Warriors’ 11-point win. Still, his absence looms large for a team already stretched thin after a bruising seven-game slugfest with the Houston Rockets. That series took its toll—especially on the 37-year-old Curry, who absorbed a lot of physical punishment from Houston’s aggressive perimeter defense.

Even with the Game 1 win, the Warriors are still underdogs in the series (according to betting sites like FanDuel). Without Curry, Golden State will need a full team effort—and likely more heroics from Jimmy Butler. Butler posted a near triple-double in Game 1 (20 points, 11 boards, 8 dimes on 20 shots) and brings the kind of playoff résumé few can match. He’s already led a team to the Finals twice and lives for moments like this.

One silver lining: the Dubs have shown they can hold their own without Steph. They’re 9-3 in playoff games he’s missed, dating back to deep runs in 2016 and 2018 when Curry was sidelined with knee issues. But this is a different team, a different opponent, and a much different challenge.

With the series heating up and Steph’s status in flux, the Warriors’ margin for error just got a whole lot smaller.