Steve Kerr Used One Word to Describe Steph Curry's Devastated Reaction to Injury

Curry was forced to leave Game 1 early after hurting his hamstring.
The Warriors won Game 1 despite Curry's early exit
The Warriors won Game 1 despite Curry's early exit / John Hefti-Imagn Images
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The Golden State Warriors are up 1-0 on the Minnesota Timberwolves after Game 1 on Tuesday night, but their championship plans took a blow in the process.

Superstar Steph Curry was forced to leave the game in the second quarter after hurting his hamstring and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest. Jimmy Butler managed to lead the Dubs to a big win in the opening game of the playoff series anyway, but as always Golden State's hopes rest almost entirely on the shoulders of its generational talent.

Speaking to media after the game, head coach Steve Kerr used one word to describe how Curry was feeling after getting hurt: crushed.

"I talked to him at halftime," Kerr said. "He's obviously crushed. The guys picked him up and played a great game and obviously we're all concerned about Steph. But it's part of the game. Guys get hurt, you move on."

Entering Tuesday night's contest Curry was averaging 24.0 points per game on 47.1% shooting from the floor, including 39.2% from deep. The entire Warriors offense revolves around his shooting ability and, equally as important, the way the threat of his shooting ability forces defenses to adjust. The Warriors can win without it, as evidenced by Game 1, but it's a lot harder than with Curry on the floor.

Game 2 comes on Thursday night, with or without Curry.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.