Stephen Curry made his return from a two-month absence, scoring 29 points, but the Golden State Warriors fell to the Houston Rockets 117-116 in San Francisco. The game drew significant attention due to Curry's comeback after an injury sustained in January, marking his first appearance since then.

Alperen Sengun of the Rockets contributed 24 points, including a game-winning shot with 11.1 seconds remaining. Additionally, former Warriors star Kevin Durant, returning to San Francisco as a Rocket, led all scorers with 31 points, along with 8 assists and 8 rebounds. The Rockets secured their sixth consecutive victory, moving within one game of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets in the three-team race for third place in the Western Conference.

For the Warriors, Brandin Podziemski supported Curry with 18 points, as the team virtually locked up the 10th seed in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Curry played 26 minutes, making 11 of 21 shots, including 5 three-pointers. He came off the bench in the regular season for the first time in 14 years, receiving a warm standing ovation from fans upon entry.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr highlighted the significance of Curry's return, stating, "He's one of the most beloved players in league history, Bay Area history in any sport, and I think a long absence like this reminds everybody how lucky we are to see him." Kerr added that it remains unclear how many of the remaining games Curry will play, given the Warriors' schedule of five games in eight days, with expectations that he will not play on consecutive nights.

Source: www.aljazeera.com