{"id":698649,"date":"2026-04-04T23:34:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T23:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/698649\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T23:34:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T23:34:17","slug":"steph-curry-returns-sunday-against-the-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/698649\/","title":{"rendered":"Steph Curry returns Sunday against the Rockets"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Steph Curry swapped out<\/a> a green-and-gold snapback for a navy blue Red Sox hat, changed from his baggy gray cargo pants into sweats and walked across the Warriors\u2019 locker room to Kristaps Porzingis and dapped up the Latvian big man.<\/p>\n

Then, he left the building.<\/p>\n

Steph\u2019s newest sidekick has yet to share the floor with him, but those handshakes should soon be taking place on the hardwood. The next time Curry enters Chase Center<\/a> on gameday, the hope is that his street clothes aren\u2019t the main attraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven from afar, I was always amazed. It was a nightmare to play him,\u201d Porzingis said. \u201cBut he was one of those players, you can\u2019t get mad because you look at it, and it\u2019s like, \u2018Wow. What can you do?\u2019 Now, to actually be his teammate? That\u2019s going to be pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a basket shot by Jimmy Butler III Getty Images<\/p>\n

Golden State\u2019s 118-111 loss to the Cavaliers on Thursday is expected to be the last of a 27-game absence with a knee injury that has kept Curry sidelined<\/a> since Jan. 30.<\/p>\n

In that time, the Warriors have gone 9-18 and more or less locked themselves into the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. They also acquired Porzingis, the kind of partner with the ideal combination of size and spacing to pair with the all-time 3-point king.<\/p>\n

The 7-foot-3 center pulls from 30 feet as casually as Curry and provides a potentially lethal pick-and-roll partner. In two months since being acquired from the Hawks, Porzingis has gotten his own health problems under control, but he\u2019s still only gotten to know Curry off the court.<\/p>\n

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Considering the prospect of finally sharing the floor together, Porzingis could hardly contain his excitement in a brief interview at his locker with The California Post, shortly after his exchange with Curry.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe draws so much attention. And not only does he draw the attention, with the attention already on him, he\u2019s so effective and so good,\u201d Porzingis raved. \u201dLike, he\u2019s so good. One of the best players, like, ever. It\u2019s unreal, the things he has done on a basketball court.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis attempts a shot over Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Curry, 38, participated in his second 5-on-5 scrimmage in three days before Thursday\u2019s game, and coach Steve Kerr said, \u201cHe looks like Steph Curry.\u201d He will be reevaluated this weekend, and the Warriors have not set anything in stone, but word that Curry was targeting Sunday\u2019s home game against the Rockets for his return had clearly made it around the locker room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everybody\u2019s excited,\u201d Brandin Podziemski said.<\/p>\n

But the level of excitement?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot imagine it, brother,\u201d Gui Santos chuckled ebulliently.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s been a noticeable shift in the mood around the team from the doldrums that dominated following the losses of Curry and Jimmy Butler. They can see light on the horizon.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe brings hope to a tough situation,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cWhen Steph\u2019s around, the vibe tends to be better, and it\u2019s definitely better right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Warriors have five games remaining starting Sunday, Kerr will likely have four at most to determine how best to deploy Curry, Porzingis and potentially Al Horford, too, before attempting to make a playoff run from the bottom seed in the play-in.<\/p>\n

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after a three point shot. Getty Images<\/p>\n

In addition to an expected minutes restriction as he returns to game action, Curry will likely sit one half of their last remaining back-to-back, next week against the Lakers and Kings.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully we can develop a semblance of a rotation and figure out exactly who we want to play with whom and that sort of thing,\u201d Kerr said Wednesday. \u201cWe do have a season full of information that will help us with that, but with Kristaps\u2019 arrival, Steph hasn\u2019t played with him. So we would have to decide, are we starting Kristaps? Are we starting Al? How much can we play Kristaps and Al together? Where does Draymond fit in that group? Which one is he better with? Those are the type of things that we\u2019re thinking about, along with the backcourt rotation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horford, 39, is still recovering from a calf strain that has cost him the past 11 games. Porzingis, for his part, told the Post that he is \u201cgetting there, but I still have a good ways to go\u201d in regards to his health and conditioning and has \u201clevels\u201d he hasn\u2019t reached yet.<\/p>\n

Health troubles have prevented Curry from sharing the court with another teammate: His brother. Seth Curry is also trending in the right direction after a bout with sciatica.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that\u2019s one of his motivating factors for getting out there, to get us out there on the court together,\u201d Seth Curry said. \u201cI want to get out there with him at least one time and experience that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts after getting fouled while scoring. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n

The only person yearning for Curry\u2019s return more than his teammates is probably Steph himself. Despite no structural damage, the absence has drawn on longer than all but two others in his 17-year career. The \u201cunpredictable\u201d nature of the injury \u2014 runner\u2019s knee, which can flare up if not given the proper rest \u2014 has resulted in a few false starts.<\/p>\n

But his knee reacted positively enough to his return to practice earlier this week that Curry wanted to go public. Fans were treated to his famous pregame warm-up, in full, before the Warriors hosted the Spurs on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Kerr said he believed the decision was \u201cpurposeful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of shooting downstairs, I think he wants to feel the crowd. And show the crowd that he wants to come back,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cSo that\u2019s the hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, to make it the reality.<\/p>\n

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