Stephen Curry targeting return date against familiar Warriors foe

The Houston Rockets have seen enough and suffered enough at the hands of Stephen Curry to last a lifetime, but the Golden State Warriors superstar is reportedly hoping to inflict more pain on his long-time rival.

Having missed 25 games due to a runner's knee injury, Curry is reportedly targeting a return just in time to face the Rockets on Sunday at Chase Center, according to Sam Amick and Nick Friedell of The Athletic.

Stephen Curry targeting return against the Rockets on Sunday

Curry participated in full practice with the team on Tuesday, followed by a 5-of-5 scrimmage later in the day. Having successfully got through that, Curry is aiming for a return at the end of the week and with little time remaining to prepare himself for what will assuredly need to be two Play-In Tournament victories to secure a playoff berth.

The 38-year-old's absence will extend to 27 games when the Warriors host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, before the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers will hit Chase Center on the second night of a back-to-back.

Yet a major reinforcement is seemingly on the way in the form of the franchise's greatest ever player, offering some hope for Golden State being able to close the season strongly after an injury-ravaged and dismal last few months.

Already without Jimmy Butler after the 6x All-Star tore his ACL in mid-January, the Warriors have predictably only struggled further since Curry hobbled off the floor against the Detroit Pistons on January 30.

Golden State have gone 9-16 in their past 25 games without the 11x All-Star, ranking 23rd in offese, 21st in defense and 21st in overall net rating during this period. They've subsequently sunk to the 10th-seed in the Western Conference, and even Curry's return is unlikely to change that given they sit three games below the eighth-seed L.A. Clippers and 1.5 games behind the ninth-seed Portland Trail Blazers.

Warriors fans questioning whether Stephen Curry should return

With the regular season now drawing to a close and Golden State's fate effectively sealed, many fans have questioned whether Curry should return rather than risk an injury that could linger into the next campaign, not to mention the impact on the franchise's current lottery odds.

Yet the Warriors have been adamant all along that Curry would push for a return, and this update only further reiterates that fact as their superstar takes a major step towards a late season comeback.

The Warriors are 46-27 in combined regular season and playoff games against the Rockets in Curry's career, including beating them five times in the postseason since 2015.