Warriors vs. Pelicans: Stephen Curry, Coach Kerr React After Guard's Return

Stephen Curry made his much anticipated return from injury in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.

The Golden State Warriors point guard had not played since March 23 due to a grade two MCL sprain to his left knee. Curry played 27 minutes and did not take time to find his groove back as he scored 28 points to help his team take a 2-0 lead in the best of seven series with a 121-116 victory.

Curry was given clearance to return to action Sunday and coach Steve Kerr revealed Monday there was not going to be any minute restriction on the guard when he makes his return. He began on the bench with Andre Iguodala starting ahead of him as the point guard alongside Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Nick Young.

The two-time MVP came off the bench only for the second time in his 76 career playoff games and the last time around Curry tallied 40 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2016. This time he only played 27 minutes but was the second highest scorer on the night just one point behind top scorer Durant, who had 29 points in 41 minutes.

Coach Kerr revealed 24 minutes was the plan for Curry, but he played three minutes more, which was expected. He also made it clear the minute restriction was not owing to concerns about his knee but his conditioning having not played in almost six weeks.

The Warriors coach was satisfied with Curry’s performance and was glad his star point guard did not take too long to find his groove. Quinn Cook, who was deployed from the bench in Curry’s absence for the last 16 games, will now see his playing time reduced going into the latter stages of the playoffs.

The 30-year-old thanked his teammates after the game and admitted it was great to be back on court and be healthy again. The point guard is likely to start when the reigning champions travel to New Orleans for Game 3.

“It’s good to be back on the floor and thank god the health, great teammates and it was a big win for us,” Curry said after the Warriors 121-116 win over the Pelicans on Tuesday.

“I did not think about it much, when you are out there on the floor the adrenalin rush is great. You feed off your teammates’ energy and the crowd’s energy, that’s all you really need. I was working really hard the last six weeks and it paid off,” he added when asked about how he managed the fatigue factor during the game.

The Warriors are now firmly in control in the Western Conference playoffs having taken a 2-0 lead against the Pelicans. Next they travel to New Orleans for Game 3 and Curry has called on the team to maintain the same aggression in their offensive game.