Stephen Curry drops 29 in comeback, but Warriors fall 117-116
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SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry returned from a 27-game absence Sunday night and poured in 29 points in just 26 minutes, almost rescuing the Golden State Warriors before a last-second three-pointer bounced long in a 117-116 loss to the Houston Rockets.
The two-time MVP erased a 10-point deficit over the final five minutes and had a clean look from 30 feet at the buzzer. “Looked great when it left his hands,” Rockets forward Kevin Durant said. “I was a little nervous seeing that ball in the air.”
Back in uniform, but off the bench
Curry volunteered to come off the bench to keep his minutes in check. He checked in for his brother, Seth Curry, with 4:54 remaining in the first quarter to a standing ovation, then opened with a wild miss and a traveling violation. “First run was rough,” Curry admitted. “Second run was great.”
The guard found a rhythm late in the second period, scoring seven points in the final six minutes of the half. Head coach Steve Kerr extended him to the final 7:58 of the third quarter, where Curry added 11 points, and he matched that total in seven fourth-quarter minutes. The stint nudged him slightly past the planned 24-minute cap.
“I don’t think there’s a tougher defender in the league for him to face in his first game back than Amen Thompson,” Kerr said. “That’s quite a test. Steph looked amazing.”
Limited schedule before play-in
Curry expects a similar workload Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings. Only four regular-season games remain, and he is likely to play in three before Golden State enters a win-or-go-home play-in matchup next week against either the LA Clippers or Portland Trail Blazers. The Warriors must win twice to earn a playoff berth.
“Got to be smart and do the right thing for the right reasons,” Curry said. “All I’m looking forward to is Tuesday.”
Managing a stubborn knee
Kerr said Curry will resume starting “in the near future,” but the organization is cautious after what the coach called an “unpredictable” right-knee issue that sidelined the star for more than two months. Curry initially believed he would miss only 7-10 days.
Curry referred to the condition—persistent pain and swelling known as “runner’s knee”—as his “new normal.” He emphasized there is no structural damage and that he does not feel limited.
Warriors fighting from 10th place
Golden State fell to 36-42, assuring its first sub-.500 finish since 2019-20. The club is almost certain to hold the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference but hopes to regain momentum with Curry back and veteran center Al Horford expected to return from a calf strain by the weekend.
“You can just feel it,” Kerr said. “We’re back in the mix. We’re back in the fight with Steph. His rhythm is also our rhythm. He changes everything.”
Source: ESPN
