LeBron James, like many other basketball fans, was thrilled to see two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry back on the court on Thursday night, following a 58 game absence due to a broken left hand. Curry struggled from deep in his return to the court, as he connected on just 3-of-12 from three-point range, but he led the Warriors with 23 points to go along with seven assists and seven rebounds in his 27 minutes of action.
During the game, LeBron took to twitter to show some love to the six-time All Star, tweeting, "Happy to see @StephenCurry30 back out there again! Nothing like being in your sanctuary! The game missed you."
Though Curry obviously still has to shake off some rust, he did show flashes of his electric style of play that Warriors fans have grown accustomed to.
"I was trying to be out there and not think about it," Curry said. "If I needed to make that pass, make it and no hesitation. It was a good feeling, throwing the first one."
"It was a cool vibe, competing like that," he said.
Golden State hung with the Toronto Raptors from wire to wire, but ultimately came up short by the final of 121-113. After the victory, Raptors All Star Kyle Lowry explained what it was like preparing to play in Curry's highly anticipated return.
"Knowing that Steph was coming back, we knew it was going to be a great night, a great atmosphere," Lowry said. "One of the best players in the league was coming back from injury, we were a little more focused and concentrated on him, but coming in here, it's a great regular-season game."
Up next for Curry is a home game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, which will air on ABC at 8:30pm ET.
Steph Curry’s Limitations Revealed Ahead Of Return
Warriors coach Steve Kerr reveals Steph Curry's minutes restriction for his highly anticipated return against Toronto.
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry will finally be back on the court tonight for the first time since October 30th, when he suffered a broken left hand during the team's fourth game of the season. That said, fans shouldn't expect to see Curry at his full workload upon his return in the NBA Finals rematch.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Ahead of Thursday night's matchup at the Chase Center, which will air on TNT at 10:30pm ET, head coach Steve Kerr revealed that the two-time MVP will be limited to roughly 25 minutes over the course of four or five short bursts.
“I’m just kind of looking at it as if this were the end of training camp and he’s just starting the season,” Kerr said on KNBR (H/T NBC Sports). “So, it’s mainly about minutes now. We’ll play him in shorter bursts tomorrow, probably five- or six-minute bursts. I imagine we’ll keep him around 25 minutes.”
That said, Kerr intends to have Curry at his usual 32-to-34 minutes per night over the final few weeks of the regular season.
Even with the six-time All Star returning for the final 20 games, the Warriors will still have a strong chance of finishing among the bottom three teams in the league, which would give them a 52.1% chance of securing a Top 4 pick and a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 overall selection.
With than in mind, Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently explained why it's just as important for Curry to get back on the court alongside his young teammates, specifically the newly acquired Andrew Wiggins. Says Kerr, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell:
"It will be good for our young guys to feel what it’s like to play with him and vice versa. Steph needs to get to know these guys, too … it’s a big part of the final third of the season is everybody playing together, acclimating together, with the trade for Andrew [Wiggins], the young guys, Steph coming back, these games matter.”
For his career, the three-time NBA champ boasts career averages of 23.5 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Warriors’ Steph Curry Return Date Announced
Two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry is officially scheduled to make his return on Sunday, March 1st against the Washington Wizards.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is officially scheduled to make his return this Sunday, March 1st when the Warriors host the Washington Wizards at the Chase Center. Curry has not played since he suffered a broken left hand during the team's fourth game of the season back on October 30th.
There were rumblings that the two-time MVP could miss the entire season, in an effort to help Golden State secure one of the top draft picks, but he has always been targeting a return on March 1st. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, that will indeed be the case.
As it stands, the Golden State Warriors have the worst record in the NBA at 12-45, which is four games behind the league's next worst team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even with Curry returning for the final 21 games, the Warriors will still have a strong chance of finishing among the bottom three teams in the league, which would give them a 52.1% chance of securing a Top 4 pick and a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 overall selection.
With than in mind, Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently explained why it's just as important for Curry to get back on the court alongside his young teammates, specifically the newly acquired Andrew Wiggins. Says Kerr, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell:
"It will be good for our young guys to feel what it’s like to play with him and vice versa. Steph needs to get to know these guys, too … it’s a big part of the final third of the season is everybody playing together, acclimating together, with the trade for Andrew [Wiggins], the young guys, Steph coming back, these games matter.”
For his career, the three-time NBA champ boasts career averages of 23.5 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Steph Curry’s Targeted Return Date Revealed
Curry reportedly eyeing a return on March 1st.
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry is reportedly plotting his return to the court just after the NBA's All Star break, despite the fact the team's playoff odds are bleak. According to The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II, Curry is targeting Golden State's March 1st home game against the Washington Wizards for his return to action.
The two-time MVP appeared in just four games this season before suffering a broken left hand. There were rumors that Curry would opt to sit out the remainder of the year as the Warriors' season continued to slip away, but it no longer looks like that will be the case.
Curry, who underwent a second surgery on his broken hand on November 1st, just recently returned to practice.
"Rehab is going great, every day is tough,” Curry said Saturday during Golden State's victory over Orlando. “When you're hurt, and we've all been there in some way shape or form, its a grind, every day kind of being monotonous with the little strength workouts you have to do, and you understanding that it takes time and patience to get back to 100 percent.”
The Warriors currently hold the worst record in the NBA at 10-34. For those scoring at home, that puts them 11 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Up next for the Curry-less Warriors is a Monday night road game in Portland, which will air on TNT at 10pm ET.
