Life without Stephen Curry isn’t going as blissfully for the Golden State Warriors. They managed to steal Game 1. But since then, the Minnesota Timberwolves have inflicted the major blows. The Warriors are currently on the verge of going down 3-1 in the series, leaving a gargantuan task for Curry if he does return for Game 6. However, until he is on the sidelines, ‘The Chef’ doesn’t want his teammates to fall into hopelessness. Not that it’s an easy feat.

Golden State has found it immensely hard to compensate for what they lost with Curry sitting down with a hamstring injury. They lost their way in the third quarter, allowing the deficit to implode to 20 points after staying marginally competitive. But off the floor, Stephen Curry stands as a pillar.

Instead of Steve Kerr talking, he entered the huddle to send a passionate message to his teammates. The four-time champion wants to inspire his teammates and ignite their desire once again. “We need to have the same energy and body language we do when we win here. Lets go on a run here. We can do this,” he could be caught saying on ESPN’s broadcast.

That inspiration was exactly what the Warriors needed right now. They began the third quarter with a small lead. The game, too, seemed to be going back and forth. But the matchup flipped on its head in the final eight minutes. Anthony Edwards awakened his takeover mode, and the Wolves‘ defense followed suit.

They went on a 29-9 run, blowing up the game within a matter of minutes. Ant-Man added 14 points in the quarter to take his tally up to 30. Julius Randle’s strong showing throughout the series was also a contributing factor. As for the Warriors, only recently out of the rotation, Jonathan Kuminga seemed to find success against the Wolves.

He currently leads the Warriors in scoring with his second straight 20+ point game. But with Stephen Curry galvanizing his teammates, it’s vital for the Warriors to compete. The Timberwolves sparked one run to establish their dominance. That’s just how far away the Warriors are from getting back in the game. But that’s not possible with only Kuminga producing on offense. Can they find some consistency and pile the pressure on the Timberwolves?

Stephen Curry’s Warriors throw in the towel

As it happened, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ defense didn’t allow the Warriors to make any run. Aside from Kuminga, the Bay just didn’t find any other scoring outlet that could punish the Wolves’ defense. Notably, Jimmy Butler showed out in Game 3, where the Warriors came close to potentially taking the lead in the series.

But he couldn’t follow his 33 points and 7 assists performance tonight. Butler only attempted nine shots through the game, scoring a measly 14 points. In addition, neither Buddy Hield nor Brandin Podziemski could generate any sort of rhythm, being hounded by the athletic wing defenders the Timberwolves possess.

Since Game 1, this series has looked to be a mismatch without Stephen Curry’s presence.

However, the Warriors can’t afford to lose hope. A loss tonight doesn’t bode well for Curry’s recovery. There might be a slight chance that he suits up for Game 6 and performs to his best capabilities to give the Warriors a chance. But also comes with a major risk. This is the first time Curry has suffered a hamstring-related injury in his career.

According to Shams Charania, it’s exactly why he needs to be cautious given his age. “I think the next step is trying to get him to the point where he can run fully, sprint fully, cut fully, and take contact fully. Until you get to that point, there’s not like a safe way to bring him back from a hamstring injury,” the insider revealed on the Pat McAfee Show.

Looking at the scoreline, the Warriors might also decide not to load up Curry unless he can move and operate freely without carrying any major risk of aggravating the injury. But no matter what the situation, this is now do-or-die for the Warriors. With one last stretch remaining with their core and Jimmy Butler, Game 5 will have to be a brawl on the road.

If Curry does sit out, do you think the Warriors can give him a chance to compete? Let us know your views in the comments below.