Stephen Curry scores 29 in comeback, almost secures victory for Warriors
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry recorded 29 points in 26 minutes on Sunday night against the Houston Rockets, marking a significant return after a 27-game absence that was only missing the final touch.
Curry led the Warriors back from a 10-point deficit in the last five minutes and attempted a game-winning 30-footer at the buzzer, but the shot fell short, resulting in a 117-116 loss for the Warriors.
“Looked great when it left his hands,” Rockets forward Kevin Durant remarked. “I was a little nervous seeing that ball in the air.”
Curry’s evening began slowly. He opted to come off the bench to manage his minutes and entered the game for his brother, Seth Curry, with 4:54 remaining in the first quarter, receiving a standing ovation from the audience. In his initial sequence, Curry had a wild miss and committed a traveling violation.
“First run was rough,” Curry acknowledged. “Second run was great.”
Curry played the last six minutes of the second quarter and began to find his rhythm, scoring seven points.
In the third quarter, Kerr extended his playing time, keeping Curry on the court for the final 7:58 of the quarter. Curry added 11 points during that stretch and another 11 in seven minutes of the fourth quarter, finishing with 29 points and slightly exceeding the initial plan of around 24 minutes.
“I don’t think there’s a tougher defender in the league for him to have his first game against than Amen Thompson,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated. “That’s quite a test. Steph looked amazing.”
Curry mentioned after the game that he anticipated a similar workload on Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings, but recognized that the NBA schedule creates a sense of urgency.
With only four games remaining in the regular season, Curry is expected to participate in just three of them before the Warriors face a critical elimination game the following week in the play-in tournament against either the LA Clippers or Portland Trail Blazers. They will need to win twice to secure a playoff spot.
“Got to be smart and do the right thing for the right reasons,” Curry stated. “All I’m looking forward to is Tuesday.”
Kerr indicated that Curry will return to the starting lineup at some point soon, but the organization is taking a cautious approach to an “unpredictable” knee injury that sidelined him for over two months after he initially believed he would be out for only 7-10 days.
Curry referred to the “runner’s knee” — ongoing pain and swelling that he must manage — as his “new normal,” although he reiterated that there are no structural problems in his right knee and he does not feel compromised.
The Warriors stand at 36-42, indicating they will finish below .500 for the first time since the 2019-20 season. They are almost certain to end up as the 10th seed, but believe they can regain their status as a playoff contender in the coming days with Curry back in the lineup and veteran center Al Horford likely to return from a calf strain by the weekend.
“You can just feel it,” Kerr remarked. “We’re back in the mix. We’re back in the fight with Steph. … It doesn’t take much for him to find his rhythm. His rhythm is also our rhythm. … He changes everything.”
