Following an MRI on Wednesday which confirmed a mild strain of the star guard's left hamstring, the Golden State Warriors anticipate Stephen Curry will miss at least the next three games of their second-round series against Minnesota.

The Warriors announced Curry would be out for at least a week following Tuesday night's injury, which necessitated his early departure in the second quarter of Game 1, a contest they ultimately won 99-88. He had contributed 13 points in 13 minutes, instrumental in Golden State establishing a significant lead and seizing home-court advantage from the Timberwolves.

Coach Steve Kerr said that every year in the playoffs, teams have to change and adjust, whether it's their plan for the game, dealing with injuries, or changing the players on the court. He said, "We just need to adapt." He also added that they have done this before and are sure they can do it again.

Game 2 will take place in Minneapolis on Thursday, followed by a move westward to San Francisco for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday. Curry's potential return seems to be no earlier than Game 5 on May 14, which is conveniently situated before a three-day hiatus preceding 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 do well enough without the best 3-point shooter in NBA history until he might come back near the end of the games. It would not be smart for them to count on that happening.

Kerr asserted, “We consider our defense to be the league's finest, a claim substantiated by our performance over recent months.”

However, the current Golden State lineup pales in comparison to its predecessors, particularly when Curry and Draymond Green were in their prime and key figures such as Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala were instrumental to their triumphs. By 2018, their formidable roster was further bolstered by the addition of Kevin Durant.

At present, the Warriors were encouraged by the collective effort spearheaded by Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield, and Green in Game 1, where Kerr deployed twelve distinct players.

In Curry's absence, Butler is expected to handle the ball for much of their possessions, a pattern observed on Tuesday. Butler, a six-time All-Star whose trade from Miami three months prior significantly bolstered the Warriors' offensive and defensive capabilities, posted impressive statistics in Game 1 with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. He demonstrated consistent scoring in the first round against Houston, surpassing 20 points in four out of the five games he completed.

“Everyone is fully engaged and determined to make an impact,” stated Timberwolves guard Mike Conley. “Therefore, you need to be even more intensely focused on the game, your opponent, and their patterns of play. They aren't solely concentrating on Curry; clearly, Buddy and Jimmy will be more assertive, but they also possess players capable of scoring, and they might endeavour to achieve this collaboratively as a unit.”