“Even if I wanted to be Superman, I couldn’t.” Stephen Curry’s statement following Monday’s loss shattered the hearts of the entire Dub Nation. 3-1 down against the Wolves and just one loss away from elimination, the Warriors need their ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ to suit up in tonight’s Game 5 and save their season.
Unfortunately, as confirmed by Steve Kerr, Steph will miss his fourth straight game, still dealing with the Grade 1 left hamstring strain he suffered in Game 1. Although he has travelled with the team to Minnesota for the road encounter, he is still not ready to be back on the floor.
According to veteran insider Shams Charania’s report ahead of Monday’s game, Curry’s “progression going into (Monday) was really like jogging, some movement into his jump shooting over the weekend.”
He continued, “I think the next step is trying to get him to the point where he can run fully, sprint fully, cut fully, take contact fully. Until you get to that point, there’s not like a safe way to bring him back from a hamstring injury, and that organization is obviously, I think, been very measured and careful bringing back players from these significant, soft tissue muscle injuries.”
So, even though it’s visibly hurting Steph to watch his team struggle, he cannot risk worsening his injury by rushing his return. Per reports, the Warriors are targeting a potential Game 6 return, which will give Curry three more days to rest and recover. However, that will only be possible if they somehow beat the Wolves tonight and keep their season alive.
And that would require Jimmy Butler and Co. to bring their A game and hopefully pull off a miracle.
All eyes on Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga as Warriors face elimination in Game 6 amid Stephen Curry’s absence
With Steph out, the responsibility to lead the charge will obviously fall on Butler. On Monday, he struggled to find his rhythm and scored just 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting. Turns out, he was dealing with an illness that was not listed on the injury report. But Kerr confirmed that Jimmy is “feeling better and he’ll be ready to go tomorrow.” So, he will be expected to ball out like he did in Game 3, scoring 33 points and seven assists. But he cannot be the only one carrying the scoring load.
Mar 17, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) as a time out is called against the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
That’s why focus will also be on Jonathan Kuminga, who has turned into an unlikely hero amid Steph’s absence. Initially out of Kerr’s rotation, JK has emerged like a ray of hope for his team during these tough times. In the last three games, he has averaged 23.6 points. Although the Warriors did not win any of those games, Kuminga’s effort is what kept those contests competitive. Even Kerr acknowledged his impact following his 30-point performance in Game 3.
“He was brilliant. JK played one of the best games of his life. It was fantastic to see, and you can see how necessary he is in this matchup, especially without Steph. You know, we’re having a tough time getting free, and he’s obviously capable of giving us some points, getting to the rim, and I thought he was fantastic. I’ve said it a couple times to you guys. I’ve just been impressed with the way he’s handled things the last couple weeks, with the way he’s stayed ready and put in the work, and it paid off tonight.”
Surely, Kerr will give Kuminga another go tonight. Now that Steph has been ruled out, it’s up to Butler, Kuminga and other Warriors stars to save the day and force Game 6, giving Stephen Curry an opportunity to return and become the Superman he so desperately wants to be. Do you think the Warriors can beat the Wolves tonight?
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