Stephen Curry-inspired Warriors comeback falls agonizingly short in return game

Stephen Curry has made a thrilling return to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night at Chase Center, but an exhilarating comeback inspired by the 2x MVP fell agonizingly short against the Houston Rockets.

The Warriors were down 13 when Curry returned to the floor with seven minutes remaining in the final period, but the hosts stormed back thanks to eight fourth-quarter points from their superstar guard.

Warriors fall short of miraculous comeback in Stephen Curry's return

When Draymond Green found a slipping Gary Payton II for his 12th assist of the night, the Warriors suddenly took a 116-115 lead with less than 20 seconds remaining. Unfortunately for the home side, Alperun Sengun quickly took back the lead for the Rockets, before Curry's potentially game-winning three at the buzzer hit side rim.

It wasn't to be a storybook ending for the 38-year-old in his first game following a 27-game absence with a knee injury, but it was still an exciting performance that must give Golden State some optimism heading towards the Play-In Tournament.

Curry finished with 29 points in just 26 minutes off the bench, shooting 11-of-21 from the floor and 5-of-10 from 3-point range while showing no rust that you'd usually expect from a player after over two months on the sidelines.

Brandin Podziemski added 18 points, two rebounds and three assists on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, while Gui Santos had 15 points and four rebounds after scoring eight points in the first four minutes of the ball game.

Payton continued his strong form with 14 points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench, including what could have been the game-winning layup, while Green had seven points, six rebounds and the aformentioned 12 assists.

Golden State were hurt by Kristaps Porzingis fouling out early in the fourth-quarter, with all six fouls coming in the second-half as the veteran center had an underwhelming game -- outside of a pair of third-quarter dunks -- in finishing with nine points and eight rebounds in less than 23 minutes.

Porzingis' departure did give Charles Bassey some fourth-quarter minutes, with the 25-year-old impressing in his Golden State debut in recording five points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks in less than 10 minutes.

While it would have been nice to get the win, the fact the Warriors are essentially locked into the 10th-seed means the result doesn't actually matter too much. Curry's return, and just how good he looked, was a far more meaningful outcome that he and Golden State can take going forward.