Warriors’ Steph Curry Drops Notable Quote on Kevin Durant

TThe Golden State Warriors got Stephen Curry back on Sunday night at Chase Center. They got 29 points, a stunning fourth-quarter comeback, and a deep three at the buzzer that came agonizingly close to ending the night in celebration.

They did not get the win.

Golden State fell 117-116 to the Houston Rockets when Curry’s deep three from straightaway at the buzzer missed long, sending the Warriors to their fourth straight loss. The performance was everything the crowd had waited 27 games to see. The win, unfortunately, was not.

Curry Opens Up on Durant Showdown

What made Sunday’s game unique went beyond the comeback. It was a reminder of what Curry and Kevin Durant once were together, now playing on opposite sides.

Durant finished with 31 points and was the best player on the floor for Houston down the stretch. Curry matched him bucket for bucket in the fourth quarter, dragging the Warriors back from the brink with the crowd rising on every possession. Two former teammates. Two franchise cornerstones. Going at it again.

Curry did not let the moment pass without acknowledging it.

“It’s still crazy we’re doing it at this level at this stage in our careers,” Curry said.

The quote carried genuine weight. Curry is 38. Durant is 37. Both are still capable of carrying their respective teams in the biggest moments of a game. The history between them adds a layer to every matchup that no other pairing in the league can replicate. Sunday was another chapter in that story.

Durant had his own moment of appreciation after Curry’s buzzer attempt nearly broke Rockets hearts.

“Looked great when it left his hands,” Durant said. “I was a little nervous seeing that ball in the air.”

What Curry’s Return Looked Like

The night did not start smoothly. Curry came off the bench to help manage his minutes, entering the game with 4:54 left in the first quarter to a standing ovation from the Chase Center crowd. His first sequence produced a flailing miss and a travel violation.

He was unbothered.

“First run was rough,” Curry said. “Second run was great.”

From there, Curry found his rhythm progressively. He scored seven points in the final six minutes of the second quarter, then 11 in the third and another 11 in seven fourth-quarter minutes. He finished 11-of-21 from the field and 5-of-10 from three in 26 minutes of action.

The Warriors outscored the Rockets by 12 points in the 26 minutes Curry was on the floor. They were outscored by 13 in the 22 minutes he was not. The split tells the entire story of what his absence has meant.

Steve Kerr was direct in his assessment after the game.

“You can just feel it,” Kerr said. “We’re back in the mix. We’re back in the fight with Steph. His rhythm is also our rhythm. He changes everything.”

The Comeback That Almost Was

The Warriors trailed by 14 points with under five minutes remaining. What followed was the kind of run that only happens when a team believes it can still win.

Golden State scored 15 of the next 18 points, with Brandin Podziemski and De’Anthony Melton hitting threes to pull the crowd back into it. Curry cut through the lane off a Draymond Green pass and laid it in to pull within one. Then Gary Payton II was goaltended on a layup, the basket counting and putting Golden State ahead with 20 seconds left.

Alperen Sengun answered with a go-ahead layup off a Durant find with 11 seconds remaining. The Warriors pushed the ball up the floor without calling timeout, and Curry danced through two defenders before launching a 30-footer from straightaway.

It missed long.

Podziemski finished with 18 points, Gui Santos added 15, and Payton contributed 14. Green recorded 12 assists as Golden State finished with 34 on the night. Sengun had 24 for Houston and Jabari Smith Jr. added 23 alongside Durant’s 31.

Final Word for the Warriors

The loss hurts. A 14-point comeback in the fourth quarter, a lead with 20 seconds left, and a buzzer-beater that rimmed out. That is a tough way to lose.

But Curry is back. Kerr said he will enter the starting lineup at some point in the coming days, with Al Horford also expected to return from a calf strain by the weekend. Four regular season games remain before the play-in begins.

Curry made his feelings on the immediate future clear.

“All I’m looking forward to is Tuesday.”

Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins