The Golden State Warriors are facing potential elimination tonight in Game 5 of their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Star guard Steph Curry has already been officially ruled out for this critical matchup. However, there is encouraging news regarding his recovery: Curry, who hasn`t played since sustaining a hamstring strain in Game 1, was re-evaluated on Wednesday and is reported by the team to be making “good progress.”
Ahead of Game 5, Warriors coach Steve Kerr addressed Curry`s status, suggesting a return is not out of the question. Kerr stated it`s a “possibility” that Curry could be available for a hypothetical Game 6, should the team manage to force one.
Despite securing a win in Game 1 even after Curry`s early departure, the Warriors have subsequently lost three consecutive games, finding themselves trailing 3-1 in the series. While Game 2 was a significant road loss, they had opportunities to win Games 3 and 4 at home but ultimately seemed to lack sufficient offensive production without their primary scorer.
Reflecting on the injury, Curry described it as a “gut punch” and emphasized the importance of allowing his body to dictate the pace of his recovery.
“This is new and from all that I`m learning about how quickly you can get back, there has to be a healing process,” Curry said. “That`s just the way the body works. You can`t accelerate it more than what it`s telling you. After a week, [the medical staff will be] really re-evaluating every day to understand when it`s safe to even think about playing, let alone how much can you push it.”
A potential silver lining for both Curry and the Warriors is the schedule if they manage to win Game 5. A victory would grant them three full days off before a possible Game 6, which would be held back in San Francisco on Sunday. This extended break increases the likelihood that Curry could be cleared to play by then, providing a considerable boost to the team`s chances.
Nevertheless, winning Game 5 on the road in Minneapolis, facing what is anticipated to be a highly energetic home crowd, is a significant challenge. The Warriors will need substantial contributions from their players, including a potentially more assertive performance from Jimmy Butler, who took an uncharacteristically low nine shots in Game 4 despite being capable of carrying an offense.
Jasper Hawthorne