Game 2 is never just Game 2—not in the playoffs, and especially not when the greatest shooter of all time is in street clothes. Draymond Green & Co. are staring down a moment that could define their postseason grit, swagger, and survival instinct. They stole Game 1 in Minnesota, but now the harder question looms: can they defend that edge without their heartbeat?

Stephen Curry is out. That’s not just a lineup update—it’s a cultural void. It’s the silencing of a player whose gravity warps defensive schemes and whose calm ignites chaos. It means the Warriors will have to rediscover themselves on the fly. All onus would now fall on players like Butler and Green to make this game winnable. But for that to happen, we have to know if the latter is even playing.

Injury Report: Stephen Curry Is Out, But What About Draymond Green?

Steph Curry will miss Game 2 with a strained left hamstring suffered midway through Game 1. The injury, while not season-ending, will sideline him for at least a week. It’s the first playoff game Curry will miss since 2018—and the Warriors have gone 9-3 in his absence during postseason games. But those wins came with different rosters, rhythms, and stakes.

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Draymond Green, however, has been cleared to play after speculation around his sore shoulder. Green was pivotal in Game 1—not just for his box score (18 points, 6 rebounds), but for his ability to reset the Warriors’ emotional thermostat after Curry exited. He hit four threes and played the kind of chippy, antagonistic basketball that can either start a brawl or spark belief.

His presence alone gives Golden State a chance to play chaotic, defiant basketball against a much longer, younger Timberwolves squad.

Without Steph, Who Steps Up? Who Stays Standing?

In Game 1, Buddy Hield took a flamethrower to the Timberwolves’ perimeter defense. His 24 points (on 5-for-8 shooting from three) were the reason Golden State never looked back after their second-quarter run. Hield will be leaned on even more heavily now, as both a scorer and floor spacer. But the real intrigue? Jimmy Butler.

Since arriving at the deadline, Butler has functioned like a point-forward insurance policy when Curry rests. In Game 1, he quietly flirted with a triple-double. Now, with Steph sidelined, Butler may run the offense full-time—a role he’s thrived in before, but one that could test his durability against Minnesota’s physical backcourt.

Brandin Podziemski, a rookie revelation all season, will need to bounce back from a rough Game 1. He shot just 1-for-7 and looked lost in spots. But his confidence hasn’t wavered before, and Kerr’s trust in him is clear. Minnesota, meanwhile, isn’t just looking to bounce back. They’re looking to reassert identity.

Anthony Edwards started Game 1 ice cold, missing his first 10 shots. Donte DiVincenzo and Mike Conley combined to go 3-for-16. If the Wolves can find early rhythm, they’ll test whether the Warriors’ defense—anchored by a healthy Draymond and a patchwork zone—can hold without their perimeter cheat code.

Julius Randle also knows he has to do more. He finished with 18 points but just 3 rebounds—a stat line he publicly called out. Expect him to be aggressive early.

Curry’s absence puts more than a single game at stake. It puts the Warriors’ identity under the microscope. Without their lead maestro, can they still dance to the beat of chaos? Can they make Game 2 ugly, unpredictable, and loud in all the right ways?

Golden State has answered that question before. But the Timberwolves are not the Pelicans or Clippers of years past. They are long, deep, and angry. And they know this is their window. Tonight, the fight won’t just be for 2-0. It’ll be for belief. Because without Steph, the margin is razor-thin, and every possession, every pass, every Draymond screech might tip it.