Stephen Curry injury update: Warriors star out for Game 5 vs. Timberwolves as Golden State faces elimination

Curry has been out since Game 1 with a hamstring strain

Stephen Curry will miss Game 5 of the second round series between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves with the hamstring strain that has kept him out since Game 1, the team announced Tuesday. That means Golden State, trailing in the series 3-1, will face elimination without their best player on Wednesday.

Curry's injury came in the first half of Game 1. He had been playing quite well, scoring 13 quick points, and he helped Golden State build up a big enough lead to surprisingly steal Game 1 on the road. The series has been all Timberwolves since then, though. Without Curry, the Warriors just haven't been able to generate consistent offense. 

Jimmy Butler has had an up-and-down series, and even with the surprising contributions of Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors don't have enough shooting without Curry to threaten Minnesota's defense.

Jimmy Butler has failed the Warriors, and Stephen Curry, when they needed him most

Brad Botkin

When Curry was initially injured, the Warriors said that he would be re-evaluated in one week. The typical timeline for a Grade 1 hamstring strain is usually a week or two, and The Athletic reported that Curry made it through "a pretty strenuous workout" Saturday ahead of Game 3:

Curry didn't push it to full speed, according to a team source. He's yet to burst or cut or test that left hamstring in a manner that'll deliver him and Rick Celebrini — the team's lead medical decision maker — the true information they'll need on whether the hamstring is healed enough to return deeper in this series. But he went through a medium-speed shooting routine and rode the stationary bike. This was a notable advancement for Curry in his race against time.

For now, Curry's status for a hypothetical Game 6 is uncertain. The Warriors would have to survive Game 5 on Wednesday to even have a chance at bringing back Curry, but if they can do that, they wouldn't be scheduled to play again until Sunday. That would give Curry several more days to potentially recover and return to the series. 

Anything can happen in a single game, but for Golden State to plausibly win three in a row, Curry almost has to be back for the last two. Golden State has been overmatched without him all series, so they're facing an uphill battle in Game 5 now that he's been ruled out.