E don happen for Chase Center on Sunday night. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry don finally return after two months wey him dey sideline because of knee wahala. The man score 29 points for just 26 minutes, but as e be, Warriors still lose to Houston Rockets 117-116. Curry wey dey come from bench, bring Warriors back from 10 points down for last five minutes, but him final 30-footer shot for buzzer miss long.
“Looked great when it left his hands,” Rockets forward Kevin Durant talk. Curry night start with small sputter. Him volunteer to come from bench to manage minutes, and sub in for him brother, Seth Curry, with 4:54 left for first quarter. Crowd give am standing ovation. First sequence, Curry miss one flailing shot and commit travel violation. “First run was rough,” Curry talk. “Second run was great.”
For second quarter, Curry play last six minutes and start to generate rhythm, score seven points. Third quarter, coach Steve Kerr stretch am, make Curry play last 7:58 of quarter. Curry score 11 points for that stint and another 11 for seven fourth-quarter minutes. Him finish with 29 points, pass initial plan of about 24 minutes. “Amen Thompson,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr talk. “That’s quite a test. Steph looked amazing.”
Curry talk postgame say him expect similar workload Tuesday night against Sacramento Kings but acknowledge say NBA calendar dey create urgency. Only four games remain for regular season, and Curry likely go play only three of them before Warriors face do-or-die elimination game next week for play-in tournament against either LA Clippers or Portland Trail Blazers. Dem go need win twice to enter playoffs. “Got to be smart and do the right thing for the right reasons,” Curry talk. “All I’m looking forward to is Tuesday.”
Kerr talk say Curry go enter starting lineup again soon, but franchise dey take cautionary approach to “unpredictable” knee injury wey keep am out more than two months. Curry call the “runner’s knee” — persistent pain and swelling wey him must manage — him “new normal,” though him repeat say no structural issues for him right knee and him no feel compromised.
Warriors record na 36-42, meaning dem go finish below .500 for first time since 2019-20 season. Dem near certainty to finish as 10th seed but believe dem fit morph back to playoff threat with Curry for lineup and veteran center Al Horford likely to return from calf strain by weekend. “You can just feel it,” Kerr talk. “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.”
Kevin Durant credit ‘incredible’ Steph Curry after Warriors loss to Rockets. Mutual respect dey between Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. That na partly wetin bring dem together as teammates for three seasons, win two NBA titles. Now dem be rivals for Western Conference, but fun of watching these two all-time greats remain same. Sunday night no exception, as Curry score 29 points from bench in him return from injury absence, though Rockets narrowly prevail 117-116 at Chase Center.
Durant praise effort by him former teammate after final buzzer. “We had the game in control, and then they put No. 30 in the game,” Durant tell Grant Liffmann of NBA on NBC. “He makes shots so quickly, and he looked incredible after a couple of months off.” Houston lead by as much as 15 for second half, but Curry lead furious fourth-quarter charge by Golden State. Him eight points and two assists for final frame help Warriors take one-point lead with under 20 seconds remaining, and Curry get chance to win am on deep 3-pointer at end of regulation wey no fall.
Durant, impressive too, post 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds, eight assists and three blocks. Curry discuss wetin e be like to play against Durant for their 17th and 18th NBA seasons respectively. “Competitor like that, all-time great like that, you go back and forth, and you’re inspired by his level,” Curry tell reporters. “I’m sure the same, you know, vice versa. We obviously have great memories together as teammates, but just, it’s still crazy we’re doing it at this level, still at this stage of our careers, and he’s two years ahead of me.”
Durant talk say him savor opportunities to play against Curry, Draymond Green and Warriors. “Yeah, most definitely,” Durant tell Liffmann. “They know I’m going to come with it. Can’t hide the fact that I got history with this team.” Last year playoff series between Houston and Golden State already get plenty drama, intrigue and fun. NBA playoffs no too likely, but e hard to think anybody go complain about seeing these teams for one more seven-game series now say Durant dey added into mix.
Houston Rockets spoil Golden State star Stephen Curry sparkling return from 27-game injury absence, thwart late Warriors rally for 117-116 NBA victory on Sunday. Curry come from bench for him first game since January 30 and score 29 points for 26 minutes on floor. Him connect on 11 of 21 shots from field, including five of 10 from three-point range. Trailing by 10 with less than five minutes remaining, Warriors pull within one on Curry three-pointer with 57.8 seconds to play.
Gary Payton II then drive and get basket on goaltend by Amen Thompson to put Warriors ahead 116-115. Rockets center Alperen Sengun answer with layup, and when Curry no fit get final three-pointer to drop, Rockets come away with win. “We had the game in control, then they put number 30 in the game,” Rockets star Kevin Durant talk about Curry. “And he got back into it so easily. He makes shots so quicky and he looked incredible after a couple of months off.”
“It was a tough one,” Durant add, wey lead all scorers with 31 points. “But it’s late in the season and both teams are looking to get ready for the playoffs. So it was a good test for us.” Rockets push two-point halftime lead to 15 with five minutes left for third period when Curry, playing on minutes restriction, spearhead 11-0 run wey keep Warriors within striking distance.
Return of Curry, wey talk say him originally expect to miss only about one week with patella-femoral pain syndrome for him right knee, offer Warriors glimpse of wetin dem fit be as dem gird for play-in tournament. “You can just feel it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr talk. “We’re back in the mix, we’re back in the fight with Steph.” Meanwhile, Los Angeles Lakers get taste of how hard e go be for dem to maintain position for Western Conference with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out for at least remainder of regular season.
Dallas Mavericks, with another sensational performance from rookie Cooper Flagg, beat Lakers 134-128, snap 14-game home losing streak. Flagg, coming from 51-point performance for Friday loss to Orlando wey make 19-year-old first teenager to score 50 for NBA game, deliver 45 points, eight rebounds and nine assists with two steals and block. Dallas burst out of blocks against depleted Lakers, wey lose league leading scorer Doncic to hamstring strain and offensive sparkplug Reaves to oblique muscle injury.
LeBron James carry load with 30 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists. Jaxson Hayes add 23 points from bench, Rui Hachimura score 21 and Luke Kennard post triple-double of 15 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. But Lakers never recover from slow start. “We didn’t start the game the right way and just played catch-up the rest of the game,” Lakers coach JJ Redick talk, say Lakers inability to adjust lead to “just a poor defensive night.”
Defeat leave dem tied with Denver Nuggets at 50-28 for race for third place for West, with fifth-placed Rockets — wey don win six straight — just one game back. Elsewhere reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder further dem bid for top seed for West with fourth straight win, 146-111 over Utah Jazz. Chet Holmgren score 21 points and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander score 20, both sit out fourth quarter with game in hand.
With fifth straight victory, Thunder push dem lead atop West to three games over San Antonio Spurs. Jaylen Brown score 26 points and Jayson Tatum add 23 as Boston Celtics beat Toronto Raptors 115-101. Tatum add 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals for Celtics, wey notch third straight win to tighten grip on second place for Eastern Conference.
Breaking news: Stephen Curry still dey good basketball player. Curry get valiant effort for Golden State Warriors loss to Houston Rockets, 117-116, on Sunday, show everybody say him no miss beat. Curry make much-anticipated return from knee injury, wey keep am sidelined for two months. For him absence, Warriors spiral to 10th place for Western Conference. While dem fall short against Rockets, Curry deliver exceptional performance, especially for second half.
For third quarter, him knock down step-back three-pointer against Tari Eason to cut Rockets lead to four points, 84-80. As him jog back on defense, Curry exclaim to adoring crowd at Chase Center: “I’m back!” Fans for X also ecstatic to watch four-time champion cooking again. “Steph looked like he never even left, bro. Moved way too smooth for a guy coming off an injury, but that L still hurts,” @salazarray_munD talk.
“You know the GOAT is so back,” @streetcated add. “Steph looked like himself again, moving sharp, shooting clean, rhythm back,” @Quozzle_ write. “BTW,” @jinthirty note. “Warriors may have fallen, but Steph Curry was cooking. Golden State at least has a shot now in the playoffs,” @TJSalomone post. Curry, wey salute by NBA legend Dwyane Wade, finish with team-high 29 minutes for 26 minutes from bench. Him add two rebounds and four assists, while shooting 11-of-21 from field.
Following him knee injury, Curry talk say Warriors had to hold down fort until him return. Now say him don return, dem chances for postseason just get better. Warriors go host Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.
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