Warriors Make Major Announcement at Critical Point in Series With Timberwolves

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated May 10, 2025 9:32 PM ET

The Golden State Warriors will need to find some magic somewhere in the roster if they hope to extend their second-round Western Conference playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves long enough for Stephen Curry to potentially return to the lineup.

Curry suffered a hamstring strain in the first half of Game 1 in Minneapolis. He left the court and didn't return. The team announced following the contest that he would miss at least a week due to the injury.

Based on the series schedule, the earliest Curry could feasibly return is Game 6 at Chase Center. Currently tied with the Timberwolves 1-1, that means the Warriors will need to win at least one of the next three games to push the matchup long enough to give Curry a chance to get back on the floor.

Golden State's best chances to do so are in Game 3 on Saturday, May 10, and Game 4 on Monday, as both will take place in San Francisco. The Warriors got some help from Jonathan Kuminga in Game 2, which allowed them to hang around for the first portion of the second half before Minnesota stretched the lead back out on its way to a comfortable win.

What Kuminga might bring moving forward is harder to say given head coach Steve Kerr's recent decisions to essentially remove the athletic front court player from the rotation for much of the first round series against the Houston Rockets as well as the final stretch run of the regular season.

Second-year big man Trayce Jackson-Davis, however, is a player Golden State is clearly banking on heading into Saturday's critical home contest.

Trayce Jackson-Davis, after scoring 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting off the bench in Game 2, is starting Game 3 for the Warriors.

Before that, he had received a DNP in three of GSW's eight playoff games and had only played more than 10 minutes in one of the five games he played.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 11, 2025

"Trayce Jackson-Davis, after scoring 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting off the bench in Game 2, is starting Game 3 for the Warriors," Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on X. "Before that, he had received a DNP in three of GSW's eight playoff games and had only played more than 10 minutes in one of the five games he played."

Golden State's offensive output was abysmal with Jimmy Butler on the court in Game 2 and historically bad without him. The team must figure out a different way to play without Curry at its disposal, and Kerr's choice to start Jackson-Davis represents another big swing from the Warriors as they attempt to figure out a winning formula down one of the best players in NBA history.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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