Draymond Green reveals Steph Curry's message before Game 1 exit with hamstring injury

Draymond Green revealed Steph Curry's message to him before his Game 1 exit against the Timberwolves with a hamstring injury on Tuesday. Curry played 12:54 minutes before leaving for the locker room after putting up 13 points on 5 of 9 shots, which gave the Warriors a 10-point lead.

Green said that the Warriors initially had no idea if Curry was out and they played thinking he would be back. The Warriors forward initially believed that because Curry had sent him a positive message before leaving the floor.

"I'll be back," Curry told Green.

Nevertheless, the Warriors survived the blow and maintained their lead behind special plays from Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and the role players. Green summed up the situation regarding his and Butler's play with the Batman-Robin-Alfred analogy:

"Robin turned into Batman, and Alfred turned into Robin."

Butler was the Robin who turned Batman, while Green referred to himself as Alfred, who donned Robin's hat once Steph Curry left.

Butler finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals, while Green scored 18 points, making four triples. He added eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.

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Draymond Green banks on Jimmy Butler to carry Warriors in Steph Curry's absence

Steph Curry may miss Game 2 and potentially multiple matchups in this series before he returns, depending on the severity of his hamstring strain. It could jeopardize the Warriors' chances of qualifying for the Western Conference finals. However, Draymond Green is backing Jimmy Butler to guide the Warriors home.

"Jimmy has taken a team to the Finals twice. We won’t panic," Green said.

Before coming to Golden State, Butler was the best player on his former team. The Miami Heat. He led Miami to Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023 despite having a relatively less talented roster around him. The Warriors are deeper than those teams, and Butler's ceiling-raising play in the playoffs is promising enough for Green to have faith in him to lead the Warriors the rest of the way.

Butler had 20-point outings in four of six full first-round games played against the Rockets. On Tuesday, he nearly registered a triple-double and closed the deal in the fourth quarter.