In the first quarter, Golden State Warriors All-Star guard Stephen Curry exited the Warriors’ Play-In Tournament game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
In that moment, the visual of Curry walking away with a towel over his head toward the locker room raised the question: Is this really how it ends for Stephen Curry?
Curry, a four-time NBA champion and all-time great shooter, had missed 27 games with what’s commonly known as “runner’s knee” between Jan. 30 and April 5.
“There is nothing structurally wrong with my knee,” Curry told ESPN’s Anthony Slater before his first game back. “So it’s not like I’m compromised out there. It is a new normal, though.”
At 38 years old, it’s fair to wonder whether Curry’s knee had finally given out.
Those existential questions were short-lived, as Curry returned midway through the second quarter and proceeded to put everyone on notice that he is still Wardell Stephen Curry.
Curry scored 27 points in the second half to finish with a game-high 35, and he cemented that, even in 2026, there is still nothing more fun to watch than when Stephen Curry gets on a heater.
Curry drilled a 29-foot 3-point dagger while falling into the crowd to put the Warriors up 120-117 with 50.4 seconds left in regulation. After trailing by as many as 13 points earlier in the fourth quarter, Golden State never trailed again and beat the Clippers 126-121.
After falling into the crowd, Curry appeared to ask the man whose lap he suddenly occupied, “It went in?” while nodding his head. He knew it went in as soon as he released it, as has been the case for over 15 years.
After the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr relished in tasting the glory Golden State regularly tasted in years past. Kerr, Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson won four NBA championships together between 2015 and 2022, including three out of four between 2015 and 2018.
“For one night, we’re us,” Kerr told reporters. “We’re champions again. I know that may sound crazy to everybody out there. It’s a play-in game – I don’t care. Just absolutely beautiful to watch.”
This is the third straight year the Warriors have been a Play-In team. The next stop is Phoenix to determine whether the Warriors or Suns will be the Western Conference’s eighth seed and take on the top-seeded, defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, beginning this weekend.
Even if the Warriors’ magic carpet ride only lasts one more game, their vintage comeback against the Clippers was a reminder to enjoy watching Curry every time he’s on the floor.
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