The

Warriors

were on the wrong side of history on Saturday against the

Timberwolves

.

Since Steve Kerr became the head coach in 2015, this was the first instance where Golden State did not make a three-point shot in the first half. In Game 3 against the Timberwolves, the Warriors were zero for five from long range in the opening period.

In their second game this postseason without Stephen Curry, who suffered a hamstring strain in Game 1, the Warriors look to be playing a more defensive style. The first half of Game 3 was one of the lowest-scoring halves for Golden State this season, as they took a 42-40 advantage into the locker room.

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The Warriors are hoping Jimmy Butler and their role players can produce more offense in Curry’s absence. The two-time MVP could be out for the rest of the series, but Golden State needs to knock down some 3-point shots to have a chance of advancing to the Western Conference finals.

Here’s what you should be aware of regarding the Warriors’ slow beginning in Game 3.


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Warriors falter with their long-range shooting in the first half of Game 3

In Game 3’s opening half, The Warriors were zero for five from long range. This marked the first instance where they failed to score a three-pointer in the initial period under Coach Steve Kerr’s leadership since 2015.

In Stephen Curry’s absence, The Warriors seem to have adopted a markedly different playing strategy. This season, Golden State has been making an average of 15 three-pointers per game, yet during the first half on Saturday, they managed just five attempts from beyond the arc. When Butler became the central figure in their offensive plays, the Warriors focused more on driving towards the hoop and drawing fouls more frequently in Game 3.

Golden State is also leaning into its defense, which has been a theme since acquiring Butler in February. Since the trade deadline, the Warriors have had the No. 1 defensive rating in the NBA.

Stephen Curry injury update

Golden State may have to get used to playing without its 11-time All-Star. Curry has never suffered a hamstring strain before, so there’s no past indicators for how he’ll recover.

“This is new, and from all that I’m learning about how quickly you can get back, there has to be a healing process,” he

told reporters

Thursday. “You can’t accelerate it more than what it’s telling you. So it’ll be one of those, after a week, really reevaluating every day to understand when it’s safe just to even think about playing, let alone how much can you push it.”

ESPN’s Shams Charania said before tonight’s game that the earliest we could see Curry again in this series is Game 6, if everything goes perfectly.