Warriors Complete NBA History With Game 1 Win Over Timberwolves

The Golden State Warriors bucked the unfortunate exit of Steph Curry and took care of business against the Minnesota Timberwolves to take Game 1 of their second-round series on Tuesday.

The Timberwolves mounted a fiery surge in the fourth quarter but the Warriors did enough to stave it off for the 99-88 victory at Target Center. Golden State has now won back-to-back assignments on the road after eliminating the Houston Rockets in Game 7 at Toyota Center.

Buddy Hield led the scoring anew for the Warriors, who lost Curry in the second quarter due to a hamstring injury, with 24 points on 5-of-8 shooting from long distance. Jimmy Butler, meanwhile, had a near triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

With Golden State's victory, all four road teams won Game 1 of the second round for the first time in NBA history, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports' Ali Thanawalla.

The Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in their opener on Sunday, while the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets pulled off nail-biting wins against the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunders, respectively on Monday.  

The Pacers did everyone better by also taking Game 2 against the Cavaliers on Tuesday, with Tyrese Haliburton sinking the game-winning three-pointer from the top of the key.

The Warriors will have a tough time duplicating the feat without Curry, who could be out for multiple weeks. Coach Steve Kerr already acknowledged that it's unlikely that the two-time MVP could suit up in Game 2 on Thursday.

The 37-year-old Curry felt the pain in his left leg after sinking a shot in the second period. He had been nursing a thumb injury against the Rockets.