Steph doesn’t have target return date from ‘frustrating’ injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
MINNEAPOLIS – Warriors superstar Steph Curry has a long history of rehab and injury recovery. This season alone, Curry has dealt with issues to his knees, neck, right thumb and pelvic area. His latest injury is the land of the great unknown.
Curry, in the second quarter of the Warriors’ Game 1 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday in the Western Conference semifinals, grabbed at the back of his left leg and was ruled out for the rest of the game with a strained hamstring. An MRI the next day revealed a Grade 1 strain, with the Warriors announcing Curry will be re-evaluated in one week.
“I’ll do everything in my power to get back as soon as possible.”
Steph is cautious but determined to get back on the court 💪 pic.twitter.com/oD8H4ELnmM
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 8, 2025
That coincides with the same day as Game 5 of the second round, ruling Curry out for at least Games 2, 3 and 4. Perhaps even more, too.
Having never dealt with a hamstring injury, not even tightness, the 37-year-old says he doesn’t have a target date at the moment for his return.
“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 Thursday at Warriors shootaround before Game 2. “It’s just the way the body works. You can’t accelerate more than what it’s telling you.”
After a week of rest and rehab, Curry and the Warriors’ training staff will re-evaluate his hamstring every day to know when it’s safe to even think about playing, let alone thinking about how hard he can push it, which seemingly should keep him out for Game 5 – and possibly longer.
Eventual conversations will be had with teammates who have dealt with hamstring injuries in the past, such as Gary Payton II. Not quite yet, though.
“I will, for sure,” Curry said. “I’ve been in my feelings a little bit.”
Curry scored eight of the Warriors’ 18 points in the first quarter, and then looked to be heating up after making a high-arching step-back three on Jaden McDaniel three minutes into the second quarter. But on the other side, Curry felt something wrong playing defense. He jumped out to help on Mike Conley and almost immediately grabbed at the back of his left leg after planting and pivoting.
Still, he initially stayed in the game and made a floater on the Warriors’ next offensive possession. Jogging back to defense with a clear limp, Curry motioned towards the Warriors’ bench to get him out of the game.
There weren’t any warning signs. Curry felt great up until that point, and even said so prior to Game 1 after playing 46 minutes just 48 hours earlier in Game 7 of the Warriors’ first-round win against the Houston Rockets.
What he first felt didn’t appear to be anything too bad. Curry thought he could go to the locker room, get it released and come back, but with a soft tissue injury like a hamstring, he quickly learned he could have done more damage if he tried to play through it.
The natural healing process is all that Curry can rely on right now. He isn’t even entertaining thoughts of rushing back and what that might do to him. Hamstrings are tricky, and Curry could be fooled by the gray area these injuries bring.
While the injury is new to Curry, this isn’t the first time he has missed games in the playoffs. When he missed six games in 2016, the Warriors went 4-2, and they went 5-1 when he missed six games to injury in 2018. Those teams also were much different in the heyday of the Warriors’ dynasty.
Curry has all the trust that his teammates can right the ship until he returns. The Warriors went 7-5 in the regular season in games he didn’t play. His experience of dealing with prior injuries in the playoffs, however, doesn’t exactly add a sense of comfort in Year 16.
“It’s more frustrating,” Curry admits. “When you’re 27, you feel like you’re obviously in your prime. Every opportunity I have now, you don’t want it to be wasted on an injury. I’m thankful it wasn’t worse and I’m very aware of and appreciative that I even have a chance to come back. There’s been injuries around the league that you’ve seen guys don’t have that option. I’m just trying to stay in that midframe and hopefully things work out where I can come back and we have a chance to keep doing something special.
“Injuries are already hard emotionally, just because you know none of this is guaranteed to be back in this environment and the playoff experience and have an opportunity like that. When you get hurt, you have to be intentional in what you focus on.”
Despite the injury, Curry was at shootaround dressed like he was ready to drop 30 points on the Timberwolves in Game 2. Instead, he served as a rebounder and fed passes to Buddy Hield over and over and over again. Curry said he’s still “a little ways away” from doing any type of stationary shooting himself.
He hasn’t given any type of inspirational speech and doesn’t plan to. His guys have his back, and that’s all Curry can ask for.
“No, they talk to me,” Curry said. “This is a great vibe in our locker room in terms of them trying to hold the fort down. We have a lot of confidence that we can still win the series. Guys will step up, no matter how it looks. It’s obviously a situation where you want to think positively and optimistically that we can win games and buy me some time to get back and hopefully have another series after this and be in a position where I can get back out there safely, where I’m not putting too much risk on the body if it’s not ready.
“They understand the task. We all are in it together.”
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
Steph doesn’t have target return date from ‘frustrating’ injury
MINNEAPOLIS – Warriors superstar Steph Curry has a long history of rehab and injury recovery. This season alone, Curry has dealt with issues to his knees, neck, right thumb and pelvic area. His latest injury is the land of the great unknown.
Curry, in the second quarter of the Warriors’ Game 1 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday in the Western Conference semifinals, grabbed at the back of his left leg and was ruled out for the rest of the game with a strained hamstring. An MRI the next day revealed a Grade 1 strain, with the Warriors announcing Curry will be re-evaluated in one week.
“I’ll do everything in my power to get back as soon as possible.”
Steph is cautious but determined to get back on the court 💪 pic.twitter.com/oD8H4ELnmM
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors)
SIGN UP HERE That coincides with the same day as Game 5 of the second round, ruling Curry out for at least Games 2, 3 and 4. Perhaps even more, too.
Having never dealt with a hamstring injury, not even tightness, the 37-year-old says he doesn’t have a target date at the moment for his return.
“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 Thursday at Warriors shootaround before Game 2. “It’s just the way the body works. You can’t accelerate more than what it’s telling you.”
After a week of rest and rehab, Curry and the Warriors’ training staff will re-evaluate his hamstring every day to know when it’s safe to even think about playing, let alone thinking about how hard he can push it, which seemingly should keep him out for Game 5 – and possibly longer.
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Eventual conversations will be had with teammates who have dealt with hamstring injuries in the past, such as Gary Payton II. Not quite yet, though.
“I will, for sure,” Curry said. “I’ve been in my feelings a little bit.”
Curry scored eight of the Warriors’ 18 points in the first quarter, and then looked to be heating up after making a high-arching step-back three on Jaden McDaniel three minutes into the second quarter. But on the other side, Curry felt something wrong playing defense. He jumped out to help on Mike Conley and almost immediately grabbed at the back of his left leg after planting and pivoting.
Still, he initially stayed in the game and made a floater on the Warriors’ next offensive possession. Jogging back to defense with a clear limp, Curry motioned towards the Warriors’ bench to get him out of the game.
There weren’t any warning signs. Curry felt great up until that point, and even said so prior to Game 1 after playing 46 minutes just 48 hours earlier in Game 7 of the Warriors’ first-round win against the Houston Rockets.
What he first felt didn’t appear to be anything too bad. Curry thought he could go to the locker room, get it released and come back, but with a soft tissue injury like a hamstring, he quickly learned he could have done more damage if he tried to play through it.
The natural healing process is all that Curry can rely on right now. He isn’t even entertaining thoughts of rushing back and what that might do to him. Hamstrings are tricky, and Curry could be fooled by the gray area these injuries bring.
While the injury is new to Curry, this isn’t the first time he has missed games in the playoffs. When he missed six games in 2016, the Warriors went 4-2, and they went 5-1 when he missed six games to injury in 2018. Those teams also were much different in the heyday of the Warriors’ dynasty.
Curry has all the trust that his teammates can right the ship until he returns. The Warriors went 7-5 in the regular season in games he didn’t play. His experience of dealing with prior injuries in the playoffs, however, doesn’t exactly add a sense of comfort in Year 16.
“It’s more frustrating,” Curry admits. “When you’re 27, you feel like you’re obviously in your prime. Every opportunity I have now, you don’t want it to be wasted on an injury. I’m thankful it wasn’t worse and I’m very aware of and appreciative that I even have a chance to come back. There’s been injuries around the league that you’ve seen guys don’t have that option. I’m just trying to stay in that midframe and hopefully things work out where I can come back and we have a chance to keep doing something special.
“Injuries are already hard emotionally, just because you know none of this is guaranteed to be back in this environment and the playoff experience and have an opportunity like that. When you get hurt, you have to be intentional in what you focus on.”
Despite the injury, Curry was at shootaround dressed like he was ready to drop 30 points on the Timberwolves in Game 2. Instead, he served as a rebounder and fed passes to Buddy Hield over and over and over again. Curry said he’s still “a little ways away” from doing any type of stationary shooting himself.
He hasn’t given any type of inspirational speech and doesn’t plan to. His guys have his back, and that’s all Curry can ask for.
“No, they talk to me,” Curry said. “This is a great vibe in our locker room in terms of them trying to hold the fort down. We have a lot of confidence that we can still win the series. Guys will step up, no matter how it looks. It’s obviously a situation where you want to think positively and optimistically that we can win games and buy me some time to get back and hopefully have another series after this and be in a position where I can get back out there safely, where I’m not putting too much risk on the body if it’s not ready.
“They understand the task. We all are in it together.”
