Golden State Warriors vs Minnesota Timberwolves: Top 5 viral moments from Game 1 of 2025 NBA playoffs

Steph Curry exited early in the second quarter, but the Golden State Warriors held off the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road, securing a 99-88 win in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal matchup on Tuesday.

Golden State locked in defensively, limiting Minnesota to 17.2% shooting from beyond the arc (5-of-29).

In Curry’s absence, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green rose to the occasion. Hield put up 24 points, eight rebounds and five 3-pointers. Butler followed with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Green added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The game had plenty of viral moments and sparked a wave of fan reactions online.

Top 5 viral moments from Golden State Warriors vs Minnesota Timberwolves Game 1

#1. Steph Curry exits game

The top storyline of the night was Steph Curry’s left hamstring strain. A tweet from ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting the injury picked up steam, generating over 14,000 likes and nearly 4,000 reposts by the final buzzer.

Injury analyst Dr. Evan Jeffries weighed in on X, estimating Curry could miss “seven to 10 days” for a Grade 1 strain, while a Grade 2 injury could sideline him for three to six weeks.

#2. Draymond Green earns praise for effort on both ends

With Curry out, Draymond Green’s performance turned heads. Fans were shocked to see him hit four 3-pointers and finish with 18 points — the third-highest for Golden State.

Others applauded his defense on Rudy Gobert. After Gobert’s dominant 20-20 outing in Game 5 against the Lakers, the French big was held to just nine points, 11 rebounds and a minus-10 in 26 minutes.

#3. Donkey shirts take aim at Draymond

Minnesota fans tried to rattle Green with trolling tactics, including wearing donkey shirts to poke fun at the fiery Warriors forward.

#4. Fans clown Anthony Edwards’ poor shooting

By halftime, the Warriors led 44-31, and Minnesota’s offense was stuck in neutral, especially Anthony Edwards. He went 0-for-8 in the first half with just one point, and no Timberwolves player reached double figures.

Though Edwards finished with 23 points after a late surge, fans on X didn’t hold back, with one even comparing him to Bronny James.

#5. Jimmy Butler’s postgame comments

Jimmy Butler, who helped close out the win, spoke after the game about how tough it was to grind it out without Curry.

About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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