Buddy Hield scored 24 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-Final Series at Minneapolis, 99-88, beat Minnesota Timberwolves 99-88, despite losing star Stephen Curry.
Jimmy Butler III scored a double-digit 20 points and 11 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Warriors, who won three nights for the second time after knocking out the Houston Rockets’ first-round series in seven games. Draymond Green scored 18 points and 8 rebounds.
"Jimmy is as good as any star in the league when reading the game and controlling the pace," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday.
Anthony Edwards missed his first 10 shots but scored 23 points and 14 rebounds in Minnesota, which showed rust after a five-day break between games. Naz Reid scored 19 points on the bench and Julius Randle scored 18 points with 18 points.
"It doesn't look like us at all," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "It doesn't look like us at all."
Curry, 37, quit in the second section due to a left hamstring strain and did not return. He scored 13 points in 13 minutes, scoring 3 points and 3 hits in his 3-point shooting percentage before his injury.
Curry seems to maintain damage when it comes to layups. After the shot, he prefers his left leg and raises his arm to signal the bench to indicate something is wrong.
After the game, Kerr told reporters Curry will have an MRI on his left hamstring on Wednesday. He described Curry's identity as everyday.
"We can definitely plan the game on Thursday," Kerr said. "We don't know yet, but with the hamstrings, it's hard to imagine he'll play on Thursday."
Minnesota was trailing by as much as 23 points, but pulled at a single rate in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves lowered their deficit to 85-76 with a 13-2 record, with 6:02 left.
In the next game, Hield drilled one of his five threes to restore the Warriors' lead to 12 points. Butler followed closely by a driving jump shot that put Golden State in the top 5:19 with a 90-76 record, with the Warriors maintaining a comfortable lead for the rest of the process.
Golden State University led by 80-60 at the end of the third quarter.
Hield scored two points at halftime but broke out with 16 in the third quarter. He scored three-pointers as part of the 10-0 run and Golden State led 76-53 with 2:23 left in the quarter.
Golden State led 44-31 as Minnesota scored only 11 points in the second quarter.
Game 2 of the Seven Best Series was held in Minneapolis.
