The Warriors are currently trailing 3-1 in their second-round playoff matchup against Minnesota following their loss in Game 4 on Monday night.
Star point guard Stephen Curry, who sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain during Game 1 against the Timberwolves, told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he does not expect to participate in Wednesday’s Game 5 as Golden State faces potential elimination (Twitter link).
“Even if I wanted to be Superman, I couldn’t,” Curry stated.
As per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, the two-time MVP echoed comments made by Draymond Green after Monday’s game.
“No, we’re not going to Superman this thing,” Green said when asked if he believed Curry would try to return and whether he would be involved in that decision-making. “If he’s able to play, I’m certain he will. He and Rick (Celebrini, the Warriors’ vice president of player health and performance) will work that out. But we don’t need (Curry to attempt to be) Superman.
“We have to think long-term. If he’s able, we know he’ll give it a shot. But there’s no hurry. We need to find a way to win regardless of his status.”
Curry is set for reevaluation on Wednesday following his initial injury on May 6. He hinted last week that participating in Game 5 was unlikely, and subsequent reports from ESPN’s Shams Charania suggested that the Warriors viewed Game 6 as possibly the “earliest return” for Curry.
Golden State’s scheduling is somewhat unique, as there is a three-day break between Game 5 and Game 6, which is tentatively planned for Sunday. However, this optimistic scenario depends on the Warriors winning on Wednesday in Minnesota.
In Game 4, the Warriors faltered largely due to a poor third quarter, during which Minnesota pulled ahead, spurred by a 17-0 scoring run. Youngmisuk noted that Green mentioned Jimmy Butler was not feeling well on Monday, with the star forward scoring only 13 points on nine attempts. In contrast, Butler had netted 33 points on 26 shots in Game 3.
“We definitely need him to be more effective offensively,” Green remarked about Butler. “However, their defense was tightening around him today. We attempted to address that. I know he’s been feeling under the weather all day. It affects energy as well. No excuses here.
“I think it falls on me. I need to find better ways to facilitate his scoring. Tonight, I felt that I was just trying to get him the ball, but didn’t do so in ways that were effective, allowing the defense to focus on him. I need to do a better job of creating scoring opportunities for him in areas where the defense can’t easily concentrate on him.
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