Stephen Curry said he “felt good” in his first game back after missing more than two months, even though the Golden State Warriors fell 117-116 to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night at Chase Center.
“I felt good,” Curry said after scoring 29 points in 26 minutes. “Some good nerves going into it. And obviously coming off the bench is you’re trying to pace yourself physically, mentally to get ready for your your runs.”
Curry said the toughest part was not the shot-making, but the grind of getting back into game shape. “It’s not as much rust as it’s the endurance,” he said. “You’re kind of picking and choosing a little bit of your spots to maintain.”
That rhythm improved as the night went on, especially after a rough opening. “After I traveled and got my shot blocked the first two possessions, I kind of settled in nice,” Curry said. “You do all the training and scrimmages and all that type stuff. It’s more just getting back familiar with the speed of the game, the physicality, and just embracing it.”
Curry also said the Warriors still have work to do with their lineups, particularly alongside Kristaps Porzingis. “I thought we have a lot more to prove out there,” he said. “Those more of those reps will be great for not just me and him, but for all of us to continue to build chemistry.”
The closing lineup gave Curry a familiar feel. “That group that we had down the stretch, it felt like old times,” he said. “Draymond’s finding guys, getting guys in the pocket. It was awesome.”
The Warriors had a chance to tie or win on the final possession, but Curry said the spacing broke down. “We didn’t have a play call because we thought we were going to get a stop,” he said. “It seemed like there was a wall at the three-point line and I couldn’t figure out exactly where to go.”
Even with the loss, Curry left encouraged by the way the night unfolded. “No regrets,” he said. “You like the matchup with their lineup out there thinking that you can get a good shot with 11, 12 seconds left.”
He also said the plan now is simple: keep building toward the play-in. “Be smart and do the right things for the right reasons,” Curry said. “I think next game will look very similar to this one.”
The return had an added layer for Curry, who shared the floor with Seth Curry for the first time in a regular-season game. “That was special,” he said. “It was a dream come true to be honest.”
