The Golden State Warriors find themselves in Minneapolis for a critical Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. With Stephen Curry continuing to miss games due to a hamstring injury, the Dubs have lost three straight games to Anthony Edwards. As a result, they are now on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs, down 3-1 to the Wolves in this Western Conference Semifinal series.
While the Warriors have fought valiantly against the Timberwolves in Games 3 and 4 in front of their home faithful, one bad quarter in both games resulted in their demise. All that matters now is finding a way to win Game 5 and send this series back to San Francisco.
However, Curry is still dealing with his hamstring injury, leaving Golden State's offense stalled. With the Warriors on the brink of elimination, NBA fans are asking the question: “Is Stephen Curry playing tonight in Game 5 against the Timberwolves?”
Stephen Curry, Warriors injury report
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is introduced against the Houston Rockets before the start of game six of the first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center.
Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Curry suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in the team's 99-88 Game 1 win on the road against the Timberwolves. Since then, Golden State's offensive decline has been the story of this series, as Edwards and Julius Randle have set the tone over the last three Minnesota victories.
Although Curry is set to be re-evaluated on Wednesday, the one-week mark since suffering his hamstring injury, he has already been ruled out for Game 5 on the team's injury report. The good news for the Warriors is that nobody else is listed with any ailments, meaning it's all hands on deck with their backs up against the wall heading into Game 5.
As for Curry's status, the All-Star guard has been progressing steadily behind the scenes.
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While Steph continues to make progress behind the scenes and is on schedule in his rehab during the first week of this injury, he has yet to sprint or do any serious running exercises in his workouts behind the scenes. The next step to prove that he is ready to return will be displaying no limitations with jumping and cutting on the court.
It is expected that the Warriors will give Curry the green light to advance into full basketball activities and full running exercises on Wednesday to test his hamstring. Should he show no limitations in these workouts, then Curry will be expected to return for Game 6, assuming the Warriors can pull out a key road win in Minneapolis.
Without Curry on the court, head coach Steve Kerr has turned to Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield as the main offensive contributors next to Jimmy Butler. Kuminga has been fantastic for Golden State since Curry's injury, averaging 23.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 59.5 percent from the floor over his last three games.
Even so, the Warriors have been unable to get a win they have desperately needed to give Steph a chance at returning in this series. Kuminga and Hield must step up next to Jimmy Butler in Game 5 for Golden State to keep their season alive.
As for Curry, the team is expected to provide an update on his health soon. Whether or not it matters depends on the outcome of Wednesday night's game.
So, we ask the question again: “Is Stephen Curry playing tonight in Game 5 against the Timberwolves?” The Warriors have made it clear that Curry will not suit up and play in Minneapolis, missing his fourth straight game with this left hamstring injury.