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2 Former Sixers Help Steph Curry-Less Warriors Complete NBA History

Former Sixers Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler had a stellar Game 1 for the Warriors-Timberwolves series.
Justin Grasso|
Apr 28, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield (7) celebrates with forward Jimmy Butler III (10) as he speaks to TNT after the game four of the 2025 NBA Playoffs first round against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Apr 28, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield (7) celebrates with forward Jimmy Butler III (10) as he speaks to TNT after the game four of the 2025 NBA Playoffs first round against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

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The second round of the NBA Playoffs has gotten off to a shocking start. The underdogs have been dominant, making NBA history for the set of Game 1s.

According to Statmuse, the 2025 NBA Playoffs were the first time in history that all four road teams won the first game of the Conference Semifinals.

The Golden State Warriors completed the historic trend on Tuesday night with a lot of help from two former Philadelphia 76ers players.

With Steph Curry going down with a hamstring injury in Game 1 between the Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State was put in a tough spot early on as they didn’t have the former MVP for the entire second half.

Curry left the game after shooting 5-9 from the field and 3-6 from beyond the arc to score 13 points.

In his absence, former Sixers Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler put together impressive outings. For Butler, he’s made a positive name for himself in the postseason throughout his career. While he didn’t shoot the lights out, making just seven of his 20 shots from the field, Butler nearly notched a triple-double.

The former Sixers forward produced 20 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in 41 minutes of action.

Meanwhile, Hield has gone from a player who struggled to crack the Sixers’ playoff rotation one season ago to catching fire with the Warriors in some of their most critical moments.

After a major Game 7 performance against the Houston Rockets, Hield followed up with an impressive Game 1 matchup against the Timberwolves. In 40 minutes of action, Hield made five of his eight threes and was a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe.

Hield notched a game-high 24 points while nearly picking up a double-double with eight rebounds.

The Warriors ended up defeating the Timberwolves 99-88 to take Game 1 in Minnesota.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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