MINNEAPOLIS — Stephen Curry’s hamstring strain will keep him out for at least the next week of the Golden State Warriors’ playoff series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.An MRI on Wednesday morning revealed a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported and the Warriors confirmed later Wednesday. While that is the least severe grade possible, Curry won’t be reevaluated until next Wednesday, according to the Warriors.Curry grabbed at his hamstring after an offensive sequence in the second quarter of Game 1, motioned to the bench and left the game with 8:19 to go before halftime. The Warriors won 99-88.The win was particularly significant because the team’s medical staff likely will be conservative with his return to play, as muscle injuries — and hamstrings in particular — are ripe for reinjury.“The reason you don’t want to rush back a hamstring strain is that there’s a high rate of reinjury if you come back too early.” Dr. Nirav Pandya, the director of sports medicine at Benioff Children’s Hospital, said in a social media post Tuesday night. “In addition, there’s a high rate of additional injuries to the body if your hamstring isn’t very secure or strong enough to come back on the court.”The Warriors play three games over the next week: Game 2 on Thursday night at the Target Center, followed by their first two home games of the series Saturday and Monday.Game 5 would be next Wednesday, May 14, in Minneapolis, then the teams get a break until Game 6 at the Chase Center the following Sunday, May 18. If the series reaches Game 7, it would be played Tuesday, May 20, in Minneapolis.Curry missed 12 regular-season games with an assortment of injuries, including two games late in the regular season with a bruised pelvis. He also has been dealing with a right thumb and ankle injury.
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