Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) looks on against the Phoenix Suns in the second quarter at Chase Center.
Key Points
Not even Steph Curry’s return to action was enough to save the Golden State Warriors on Friday night. The 37-year-old superstar came back from a two-week absence due to a quad injury, and he made sure to make up for lost time against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, despite Curry’s offensive explosion, Golden State still lost, 127-120.
Curry went off for 39 points on 14-of-28 from the floor, to go along with five rebounds and five assists. The former back-to-back NBA MVP also connected on six triples in 32 minutes of action. It was a tremendous performance in his first game back, but the Warriors just didn’t have enough against Minnesota.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) runs back on defense against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at Chase Center.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) runs back on defense against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at Chase Center.
The last time Curry saw action for the Warriors was on Nov. 26 against the Houston Rockets. He was forced to exit that game and was later diagnosed with a right quad contusion. Golden State was very cautious with their cornerstone superstar, opting to hold him out for 16 full days before they gave him the green light to return.
That decision paid off as Curry looked great in his return. Rust was not an issue for the 11-time All-Star as he turned in another vintage performance.
Curry spoke to reporters after the loss to share an update about his health following his first game back.
“Individually, it was a good first game back, just to get my lungs back and feel like myself,” he said.
While it was an excellent outing for the NBA’s all-time leading three-point scorer, Curry knows full well that it wasn’t a good enough effort from the Warriors collectively. They suffered their first loss in three games against a Wolves side without the injured Anthony Edwards. It was a home loss at Chase Center, too, adding further misery for Golden State.
The silver lining for Curry and Co. is that they will be back in action on Sunday. They will face the Portland Trail Blazers with an opportunity to improve on their 13-13 record.