Shams: Steph Curry not expected back until Game 6 'at the earliest'

Curry's hamstring strain is expected to keep him out for at least three more games.

May 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) looks on from the bench against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry isn't expected to potentially play in this second-round series against the Timberwolves until Game 6 "at the earliest," according to ESPN insider Shams Charania.

After suffering a hamstring strain in the opening game in Minneapolis, Curry will be re-evaluated on Wednesday ahead of Game 5. With three full days off after that game, it makes sense that Saturday the 17th would be the earliest realistic date for his return.

"Hamstring strains, that's not an injury you play with," Charania said on The Pat McAfee Show. "He's really been limited to just doing treatment. He's going to be re-evaluated on Wednesday, which means he's going to miss at least three games. My understanding is it's probably not going to be at any point until Game 6 at the earliest for Stephen Curry.

"Maybe you get (him) back then, but as I tweeted, this is the first strain of the hamstring that Stephen Curry has ever had in his NBA career. It's going to be a very safe approach the Warriors are going to take with this."

'Not anywhere close': Steph Curry signals caution with hamstring injury

Curry scored 13 points in 13 minutes in Game 1 before suffering the injury. The Warriors held on to win that game, but the Wolves bounced back with a 24-point win on Thursday night in the first full game without Curry. With the series heading to the Bay Area tied at 1-1, there's a chance the Wolves could win the next three games and not have to worry about possibly facing Curry again.

If it gets to a sixth or possible seventh game, the stage could possibly be set for him to play. It'll all depend on how he progresses over the next week or so. Because the 37-year-old Curry has never dealt with a hamstring strain before, it's not totally clear how long it will take him to recover.

Curry, who is universally considered the greatest shooter in NBA history, tops the all-time three-pointer leaderboard by nearly 900 makes. The 11-time All-Star, two-time MVP, and four-time champion missed 12 games in the regular season and still finished third in made threes, narrowly trailing Anthony Edwards and Malik Beasley.