NBA roundup: Rockets hold off Warriors fightback to spoil Stephen Curry return

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/curry-stephen/xx3787qL/"]Curry[/a] came off the bench in his first game since January 30th and scored 29 points in 26 minutes on the floor.[/p][p]He connected on 11 of 21 shots from the field, including five of 10 from three-point range.[/p][p]Trailing by 10 with less than five minutes remaining, the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/golden-state-warriors/SxUtXqch/"]Warriors[/a] pulled within one on a Curry three-pointer with 57.8 seconds to play.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/payton-gary/SrJ96uWH/"]Gary Payton[/a] II then drove and was awarded a basket on a goaltend by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thompson-amen/MHqT31bM/"]Amen Thompson[/a] to put the Warriors ahead 116-115.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/houston-rockets/Sr9PQALP/"]Rockets[/a] center [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sengun-alperen/6VXU9SGb/"]Alperen Sengun[/a] answered with a layup, and when Curry couldn't get a final three-pointer to drop, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/golden-state-warriors-SxUtXqch/houston-rockets-Sr9PQALP/?mid=n5SQVpf4"]the Rockets came away with the win[/a].[/p][p][b]"We had the game in control, then they put number 30 in the game," [/b]Rockets star [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/durant-kevin/pKXcd9rI/"]Kevin Durant[/a], who won two titles with the Warriors, said of Curry.[b] "And he got back into it so easily. He makes shots so quicky and he looked incredible after a couple of months off.[/b][/p][p][b]"It was a tough one,"[/b] added Durant, who led all scorers with 31 points. [b]"But it's late in the season and both teams are looking to get ready for the play-offs. So it was a good test for us."[/b][/p][embed guid="412d7e33-f1be-43ce-b836-271968076a84" url="https://x.com/HoustonRockets/status/2041014438384333043?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Rockets had pushed a two-point halftime lead to 15 with five minutes left in the third period when Curry, playing on a minutes restriction, spearheaded an 11-0 run that kept the Warriors within striking distance.[/p][p]The return of Curry, who said he originally expected to miss only about a week with patella-femoral pain syndrome in his right knee, offered the Warriors a glimpse of what they can be as they gird for the play-in tournament.[/p][p][b]"You can just feel it," [/b]Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.[b] "We're back in the mix, we're back in the fight with Steph."[/b][/p][p]Meanwhile, the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-lakers/ngegZ8bg/"]Los Angeles Lakers[/a] got a taste of just how hard it will be for them to maintain their position in the Western Conference with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/doncic-luka/pQ4ZBK0o/"]Luka Doncic[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/austin-reaves/xlCMu1nk/"]Austin Reaves[/a] out for at least the remainder of the regular season.[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/dallas-mavericks/YouS3mEC/"]Dallas Mavericks[/a], with another sensational performance from rookie [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/flagg-cooper/dInnahrB/"]Cooper Flagg[/a], beat the Lakers [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/dallas-mavericks-YouS3mEC/los-angeles-lakers-ngegZ8bg/?mid=bqnW93Xp"]134-128[/a], snapping a 14-game home losing streak.[/p][p][b]Flagg, coming off a 51-point performance in Friday's loss to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/orlando-magic/QZMS36Dn/"]Orlando[/a] that made the 19-year-old the first teenager to score 50 in an NBA game, delivered 45 points, eight rebounds and nine assists along with a pair of steals and a block.[/b][/p][p]Dallas burst out of the blocks against the depleted Lakers, who lost the league's leading scorer Doncic to a hamstring strain and offensive sparkplug Reaves to an oblique muscle injury.[/p][embed guid="c68168ab-4764-4020-839b-c34fdaa020bf" url="https://x.com/dallasmavs/status/2040979076043735325?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Playing catch-up[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/james-lebron/nuIVxFJk/"]LeBron James[/a] carried the load with 30 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hayes-jaxson/007kPaCO/"]Jaxson Hayes[/a] added 23 points off the bench, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hachimura-rui/jDf6HIxm/"]Rui Hachimura[/a] scored 21 and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kennard-luke/hAKYSsv9/"]Luke Kennard[/a] posted a triple-double of 15 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.[/p][p]But the Lakers never recovered from their slow start.[/p][p][b]"We didn't start the game the right way and just played catch-up the rest of the game,"[/b] Lakers coach JJ Redick said, saying the Lakers' inability to adjust led to "just a poor defensive night."[/p][p]The defeat left them tied with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/denver-nuggets/CxvW27TI/"]Denver Nuggets[/a] at 50-28 in the race for third place in the West, with the fifth-placed Rockets - who have now won six straight - just a game back.[/p][p][b]Elsewhere, the reigning champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/oklahoma-city-thunder/0fHFHEWD/"]Oklahoma City Thunder[/a] furthered their bid for top seed in the West with a fourth straight win, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/oklahoma-city-thunder-0fHFHEWD/utah-jazz-hGuCX5Su/?mid=4rUcSBmC"]146-111[/a] over the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/utah-jazz/hGuCX5Su/"]Utah Jazz[/a].[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/holmgren-chet/WxvJz45d/"]Chet Holmgren[/a] scored 21 points and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gilgeous-alexander-shai/d6TE5wgc/"]Shai Gilgeous-Alexander[/a] scored 20, both sitting out the fourth quarter with the game in hand.[/p][embed guid="f14fdbe5-59d4-4cdd-85b1-cc2103c5ac30" url="https://x.com/okcthunder/status/2040961792596165049?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]With their fifth straight victory, the Thunder pushed their lead atop the West to three games over the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-antonio-spurs/IwmkErSH/"]San Antonio Spurs[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brown-jaylen/l88NjhUb/"]Jaylen Brown[/a] scored 26 points and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tatum-jayson/t4Y4e7r0/"]Jayson Tatum[/a] added 23 as the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/boston-celtics/KYD9hVEm/"]Boston Celtics[/a] beat the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/toronto-raptors/CxtbCMdU/"]Toronto Raptors[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/boston-celtics-KYD9hVEm/toronto-raptors-CxtbCMdU/?mid=dbzBppMO"]115-101[/a].[/p][p]Tatum added 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals for the Celtics, who notched their third straight win to tighten their grip on second place in the Eastern Conference.[/p]