The Golden State Warriors anticipate being without Stephen Curry for a minimum of the next three matchups in their series against Minnesota, following Wednesday's MRI confirming a slight strain of the star guard's left hamstring.

The Warriors announced that Stephen Curry would be unavailable for at least a week following the injury sustained on Tuesday night, which necessitated his early departure from Game 1 in the second quarter. Despite his absence, the team ultimately secured a 99-88 victory. Prior to his departure, Curry contributed 13 points in 13 minutes, helping Golden State establish a significant lead and seize home-court advantage from the Timberwolves.

Coach Steve Kerr asserted, "In the playoffs, adaptability is paramount each year, be it concerning strategy, managing injuries, or adjusting the lineup; thus, we must simply adapt. We have successfully navigated such circumstances previously and are confident in our capacity to do so once more."

The next game, Game 2, takes place in Minneapolis on Thursday, preceding the series' relocation to San Francisco for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday. It seems Curry's earliest comeback could be Game 5 on May 14, which is conveniently followed by three consecutive rest days prior to Game 6 on May 18.

Curry has never had a big hamstring injury before, which makes it unclear how long he will be away and if the Warriors can play well enough without the best 3-point shooter in NBA history until he might come back near the end of the series. But it would not be smart for them to count on that.

Kerr stated, "We consider our defense to be the finest in the league, a fact substantiated over the past few months."

However, the current Golden State team arguably falls short compared to those earlier iterations, where Curry and Draymond Green were considerably younger and key contributors such as Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala were central to their achievements. By 2018, they had also acquired Kevin Durant.

Right now, the Warriors were happy with the team effort led by Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield, and Green in Game 1, where Kerr used 12 different players.

In Curry's absence, Butler is poised to handle the ball on the majority of possessions, mirroring his performance on Tuesday. The six-time All-Star, whose acquisition from Miami three months prior proved instrumental in galvanizing and fortifying the Warriors' offensive and defensive capabilities, registered 20 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in Game 1. He also surpassed the 20-point mark in four of the five complete games he participated in during the first-round series against Houston.

"Everyone is playing with intensity; anyone entering the game is eager to make a significant impact," stated Timberwolves guard Mike Conley. "Therefore, you must be even more highly focused on the game, your direct opponent, and their characteristic behaviours. Because they aren't solely relying on Curry. Naturally, Buddy will be more assertive, and Jimmy will be more assertive, but they possess players capable of scoring, and they might endeavour to accomplish this collaboratively as a team."