NBA star marks comeback after nine weeks as Houston Rockets beat Golden State Warriors 117-116 in San Francisco.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n By <\/span>Reuters and The Associated Press<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Published On 6 Apr 2026<\/span>6 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Stephen Curry marked his return from a two-month absence \u200cwith 29 points but ended up on the losing side as the Houston Rockets edged the Golden State Warriors 117-116 in San Francisco.<\/p>\n The Rockets\u2019 Alperen Sengun capped a 24-point performance with a go-ahead interior \u2060hoop with 11.1 seconds remaining, sealing his team\u2019s victory on Sunday night.<\/p>\n list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n In his first return to San Francisco \u2060as a member of the Rockets, former Warriors star Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 31 points for Houston (49-29).<\/p>\n Durant also found time for a team-high eight assists and eight rebounds, one shy of Smith\u2019s nine for team honours in both categories.<\/p>\n The Rockets have now moved within one game of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets in their three-team \u2060duel for third place in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n Brandin Podziemski backed Curry with 18 points for the Warriors (36-42), who have virtually assured themselves of the 10th seed in the Western play-in tournament.<\/p>\n Sengun\u2019s four-footer from the middle of the key came after Golden State used a 17-6 burst to overtake the visitors on a \u200cGary Payton II layup with 19.6 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n Golden State had a shot after Sengun\u2019s hoop, but Curry misfired under heavy pressure from 30 feet, capping a 5-for-10 effort from three-point range.<\/p>\n Jabari Smith Jr had 23 points, Amen Thompson 18 and Reed Sheppard 11 for the Rockets, who won their sixth straight game.<\/p>\n Curry, who \u2060had missed 27 straight games since a January 30 injury against Detroit, \u2060played 26 minutes, during which he hit 11 of his 21 shots.<\/p>\n Coming off the bench in the regular season for the first time in 14 years, Curry was greeted by a warm standing ovation and greetings on the big screen when he entered with 4:54 left in the opening quarter.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s 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, to watch him, to coach him, to play with him,\u201d Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. \u201cSo tonight\u2019s a special night because we\u2019re reminded of how lucky we\u2019ve been and how lucky we still are.\u201d<\/p>\n Kerr said before the game that it is still unclear how many of the remaining games Curry will play, given Golden State have five contests in eight days with a back-to-back the rest of the way \u2013 and the expectation is he would not play on consecutive nights.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to manage it accordingly. The plan for tonight would be shorter bursts, and we\u2019ll see on the minutes,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cBut first game back, he\u2019s not playing 48 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
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