The Warriors find themselves on the brink of elimination heading into Game 5 against the Warriors. This entire series shifted when Warriors PG Steph Curry went down with a hamstring injury in Game 1.
The Warriors hung on to win that game, but have lost all three games since, going down 3-1. Curry will be sidelined again for Game 5, though he could return in time for Game 6.
In Curry’s place, Warriors’ Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga has become a go-to scorer for the Warriors. Find the latest NBA projections for the Warriors vs. Timberwolves Game 5 on the PrizePicks NBA board.
Is Steph Curry Playing Tonight in Game 5?
Steph Curry has been ruled out for Game 5 tonight with a hamstring strain.
Following his injury in Game 1, it was reported that Curry would miss at least one week. On Saturday, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Curry is targeting a return for Game 6. Down 3-1 in the series, the Warriors will need to win Game 5 just to give Curry an opportunity to retake the floor in Game 6.
What Warriors Step Up Without Steph Curry?
There are three key players that are benefitting the most from Curry’s injury for NBA DFS on PrizePicks. Without Curry, the Warriors are running a tight rotation, with Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, and Draymond Green playing the majority of the minutes.
We’ll break down each of the top players who can replace Curry’s production below. Claim your $50 bonus and get started on PrizePicks here.
Warriors SF Jimmy Butler
The most potent scoring option that the Warriors have at their disposal with Curry out is SF Jimmy Butler. However, Butler has been an inconsistent source of production over the last three games. While he scored 33 points in Game 3, he scored 17 points in Game 2 and 14 points in Game 4.
An odd stat was that he attempted just nine shots in Game 4. If the Warriors are going to win Game 5, they will likely need Butler to be more aggressive on the offensive end.
Warriors SG Jimmy Butler
Warriors SG Buddy Hield has played an important role in this series, logging at least 29 minutes in all four games. With Curry going down early in Game 1, Hield scored 24 points. He followed that up by scoring 15, 14, and 13 points over the last three games.
His best asset is his three-point shooting. For his career, he has shot 39.7% from behind the arc, and he’s shooting 45.2% so far in the Playoffs this year.
Warriors F Jonathan Kuminga
The player who has seen his role increase the most without Curry is Warriors F Jonathan Kuminga. He played in just three of the seven games against the Rockets in the first round and only logged 13 minutes in Game 1 against the Timberwolves.
While he’s still not starting, he has played at least 26 minutes and scored at least 18 points in each of the last three games without Curry. In Game 4, he took 13 shots from the field and attempted 12 free-throws. In Game 3, he put up 18 shots.
Kuminga provided flashes of what he could do when given extended minutes during the regular season. He logged at least 30 minutes in a game six times and he averaged 26.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in those games. He had a 30.0% usage rate in those games and shot 49.1% from the field.
Here are Kuminga’s stat projections tonight for Game 5, via the PrizePicks NBA board.
- 17.5 Points
- 4.5 Rebounds
- 2.5 Assists (Demon)
- 24.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- 1.5 3-PT Made (Demon)
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