The Golden State Warriors took a 1–0 series lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 99–88 victory on Tuesday night in Minneapolis, overcoming the early loss of Stephen Curry to a hamstring injury.
Curry exited late in the second quarter after hitting a midrange jumper and grabbing his left leg, and he did not return after being ruled out at halftime.
Despite losing their star, Golden State found production elsewhere as Buddy Hield scored 24 points on 7-of-19 shooting, including five 3-pointers, while Jimmy Butler added 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in a near triple-double effort.
Draymond Green chipped in 18 points and buried four first-half 3-pointers to give the Warriors an offensive boost in Curry’s absence.
Golden State used a deep rotation with 12 players seeing action, combining hustle and physical defense to hold Minnesota to just 5-of-29 from 3-point range.
The Timberwolves missed their first 16 3-point attempts, finally converting from deep midway through the third quarter when Naz Reid hit from the wing.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 23 points and 14 rebounds but needed 22 shots to get there, while Reid added 19 points off the bench and Julius Randle contributed 16 points.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr deployed a zone defense to disrupt Minnesota’s rhythm, limiting their ball movement and forcing contested jumpers throughout the night.
Golden State outscored the Timberwolves 36–29 in the third quarter and led by as many as 23 points before holding off a late push by the home team.
The Warriors shot 42.9% from beyond the arc compared to Minnesota’s 17.2%, a decisive gap in a game where both teams shot under 40% from the field overall.
Curry had scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting before his injury, and the Warriors will monitor his status closely ahead of Game 2.
The series continues Thursday in Minneapolis, where Minnesota will look to avoid falling into a 0–2 hole on their home court.
