Steph Curry Returns After 27 Games — Warriors Still Lose by 1

Stephen Curry returned to the Golden State Warriors lineup on Sunday night after missing 27 consecutive games with a right knee injury — and reminded everyone why he's still one of the most electrifying players in basketball.

Coming off the bench in the regular season for the first time since 2012, Curry received a standing ovation when he checked in with 4:54 left in the first quarter. He finished with 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-10 from three, in 26 minutes. The moment got even more special when both Stephen and Seth Curry shared the court together — a first in Warriors franchise history, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

But the fairy tale ending didn't materialize. The Warriors lost 117-116 after Curry's potential game-winning three at the buzzer rimmed out. Golden State falls to 36-42, clinching a losing season. They're locked into the Play-In Tournament, but with Curry back, nobody wants to face them. At 38, he showed the knee is fine — the question is whether 4-5 games is enough to build chemistry before the postseason.