Stephen Curry made a return on restricted minutes, nearly leading to an upset against one of the league’s in-form teams.
Curry played 26 minutes off the bench against the Rockets, making 11 of 21 shots. The hope Stephen Curry brings is still intoxicating.
Curry’s Impact in Loss to Rockets
At 38, after a 27-game hiatus because of a runner’s knee, Curry returned to a team in 10th place in the Western Conference. He rejoined a Golden State Warriors lineup that had 10 minutes available for a G-Leaguer called up on Saturday.
In the final seconds, against the Houston Rockets, something irrational crept back in. Curry had the ball, and victory felt possible again. The future reclaimed its potential.
Curry totaled 29 points on 21 shots off the bench. Golden State outscored Houston by 12 when he was on the floor. It’s hard not to remember when watching him shimmy, witnessing him electrify the mediocre remains of their injury-ravaged roster.
“We had the game in control,” Kevin Durant said in a postgame interview with NBC. “Then they put No. 30 in the game, and he got him back into it so easily. … He looked incredible after a couple of months off.”
Final Play and Lingering Sentiment
On the final possession, the Rockets doubled Curry like they remembered the damage he caused them in the playoffs last year. Houston coaxed a contested 3 out of Curry, which clanked, securing the Warriors’ 117-116 defeat at Chase Center, and a losing season for just the second time in Steve Kerr’s 12 years as the team’s coach.
The result mirrored how it often went when Curry was absent. But with him, they seemed to gain proximity to a different outcome. After the Warriors went 9-18 without him, predictably unraveling late in games despite their valiant scrappiness, Curry’s presence revived the era’s last vestige: hope.
Warriors’ Play-In Tournament Aims
Winning requires star power. And on Sunday, the Warriors got theirs back. Curry lent credence to their fantastical mission.
The short-term goal: Escape the Play-In Tournament, which requires the Warriors win two road games to earn a playoff spot. Then, take a swing at whatever big dog is up top.
It’s illogical to predict the Warriors will beat either Oklahoma City, the current No. 1, or San Antonio, the only other possible option. But it fits the Golden State paradigm. Curry is comfortable in