SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 Stephen Curry swished a 3-pointer on his second shot from deep and raised his arms in delight when the ball went through.<\/p>\n
He was looking to do the same on the last possession with Golden State down a point, but missed a long, straightaway 3-pointer.<\/p>\n
No matter the result, Curry is back and healthy at long last for the Warriors after a right knee injury, and everyone at Chase Center celebrated right along with him in Golden State\u2019s 117-116 loss<\/a> to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.<\/p>\n With Curry back, the Warriors hope to make it out of the play-in tournament.<\/p>\n “There were a lot of nerves all day, my family supporting me at home when I was a nervous wreck trying to pass the hours before I got to the arena but once you get back into your routine I’ve been doing it so long muscle memory takes over and the adrenalin takes over,” Curry said. “I appreciate the fans and the reception and just the buzz that was in the arena because you know at a certain point you won’t be able to tap into that. So very grateful, it was a beautiful day and now I can kind of settle in to how we’re going to finish the year.\u201d<\/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 \u2014 he also expressed his gratitude on video \u2014 when he entered with 4:54 left in the opening quarter.<\/p>\n He immediately passed off for an assist on a dunk by Charles Bassey, who just signed with Golden State earlier in the day. Curry made a 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining in the period.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can just feel it, we’re back in the mix, we’re back in the fight with Steph,\u201d coach Steve Kerr said.<\/p>\n Curry finished with 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting and became the 26th player in NBA history with 9,000 field goals. He was 5 of 10 on 3s, playing 26 minutes.<\/p>\n Fans chanted \u201cWe want Steph! We want Steph!\u201d during the fourth quarter, seemingly unaware of his minutes restriction.<\/p>\n This marked the first time he has come off the bench in a regular-season game since March 7, 2012, against Memphis. He last was a reserve in Game 4 of the first round of the 2022 playoffs during the Warriors\u2019 last championship run.<\/p>\n Curry’s pregame warmup is always a must-see show long before the main event, and the cheers were extra loud for his latest session now that he’s finally back on the floor.<\/p>\n He was cheered before tipoff, too, and was supposed to play 24 minutes following a two-plus-month absence and 27 straight games sidelined because of a right knee injury.<\/p>\n He signed a few autographs after his shooting routine then missed his full-court heave before disappearing into the tunnel.<\/p>\n \u201cHe’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, to watch him, to coach him, to play with him,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cSo tonight’s a special night because we’re reminded of how lucky we’ve been and how lucky we still are.\u201d<\/p>\n Kerr said before the game that it’s still unclear how many of the remaining games Curry will play given Golden State has five contests in eight days with a back-to-back the rest of the way \u2014 and the expectation is he wouldn’t play on consecutive nights.<\/p>\n The schedule will be determined by how Curry feels and input from Vice President of Player Health and Performance Rick Celebrini.<\/p>\n Soon, Curry will be starting again.<\/p>\n Rockets coach Ime Udoka knew Houston would have its hands full with No. 30 back.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the best movers in the game,\u201d Udoka said. “… Obviously, we\u2019ve seen him enough and know some things that have hurt us in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n Curry scrimmaged several times this past week to test his injured right knee, and he said Saturday it was never a consideration to shut it down for the rest of the season. Kerr hoped to have Curry and younger brother Seth finally play together.<\/p>\n At the 6:19 mark of the second quarter, they did \u2014 the first time brothers played together in Warriors franchise history, according to Elias. Seth Curry<\/a> also has been injured much of the season.<\/p>\n Seth Curry did appear in six preseason games for Golden State in 2013 then played for the team\u2019s G League Santa Cruz Warriors that year \u2014 with the brothers playing all of 100 seconds together during the fourth quarter of two games during that \u201913 preseason.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was special,\u201d Curry said. \u201cWe both had very difficult years, honestly him more than me with injuries. I was joking calling us the rehab brothers. It’s been like that all year but to have that moment coming out of a timeout, talking about our matchups, I was having flashbacks to Charlotte Christian in high school my senior year, his sophomore year was the last time in an actual game. … That was a dream come true to be honest, it hasn’t really sunk in yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Their mother, Sonya, was in the stands for the moment.<\/p>\n Curry warmed up in Kevin Durant’s \u201cScoring Title\u201d Nike KD 4s with former teammate Durant playing for the Rockets.<\/p>\n After Saturday’s practice, Curry said dealing with the pain is part of his \u201cnew normal\u201d and the offseason will require a significant reset.<\/p>\n