When the Golden State Warriors announced last week that they'd evaluate Stephen Curry on Wednesday, they left the door ever so slightly ajar for the 2x MVP to make a return for Game 5 of the current second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Yet there was fear that was nothing short of blind optimism, with the belief that Curry was never going to be able to return from a hamstring strain in one week. Well, that's been confirmed even before the 37-year-old gets evalauted on Wednesday.
The Warriors have ruled out Stephen Curry from Game 5 against the Timberwolves
Golden State have officially listed Curry as out for Game 5 at Target Center on Wednesday, ending any hope of the superstar guard making a miracle comeback. After losing back-to-back home games at Chase Center, Curry will now to rely on his teammates to pull out an unlikely win on the road in Game 5 to avoid elimination and potentially give him a chance to return to the floor.
Game 6 has always been seen as the earliest possible return for Curry, having suffered the injury during the second-quarter of Game 1 after playing just 13 minutes. Curry and the Warriors haven't been aided by the loaded schedule, with the two teams playing every other day over the first five games of the series.
Winning on Wednesday would not only keep Golden State's season alive, but the home debut of the Valkyries on Friday means Game 6 back at Chase Center isn't until Saturday. That gives Curry an extra day in order to recover and potentially play, yet even that might be a stretch too far even if the Warriors make it that far.
Golden State have predictably struggled without Curry, particularly on the offensive end of the floor where they've averaged less than 100 points in the series. Jonathan Kuminga has stepped up in Curry's absence, averaging a team-leading 23.7 points on 59.5% shooting over the last three games despite previously being out of the rotation altogether.
Yet beyond Kuminga, few others have stood up. Jimmy Butler was excellent with 33 points in Game 3, but otherwise struggled to make enough offensive impact in Games 2 and 4. Brandin Podziemski is shooting at historically bad levels in this series, while Buddy Hield hasn't quite recaptured the heroics of Game 1 or Game 7 of the first-round against the Houston Rockets.