Steph Curry returns from injury with 29 points but Warriors lose to Rockets

NBA star marks comeback after nine weeks as Houston Rockets beat Golden State Warriors 117-116 in San Francisco.Stephen Curry marked his return from a two-month absence ‌with 29 points but ended up on the losing side as the Houston Rockets edged the Golden State Warriors 117-116 in San Francisco.The Rockets’ Alperen Sengun capped a 24-point performance with a go-ahead interior ⁠hoop with 11.1 seconds remaining, sealing his team’s victory on Sunday night.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Yamal slams anti-Muslim fan chants as Spain’s World Cup final hopes taintedlist 2 of 4Iran’s World Cup participation depends on relocation from US, minister sayslist 3 of 4‘Everything’s fine’: Yamal’s anger nothing to worry about, Barca coach sayslist 4 of 4Iranian women footballers reveal ‘enormous pressure’ of the Asian Cup sagaend of listIn his first return to San Francisco ⁠as a member of the Rockets, former Warriors star Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 31 points for Houston (49-29).Durant also found time for a team-high eight assists and eight rebounds, one shy of Smith’s nine for team honours in both categories.The Rockets have now moved within one game of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets in their three-team ⁠duel for third place in the Western Conference.Brandin Podziemski backed Curry with 18 points for the Warriors (36-42), who have virtually assured themselves of the 10th seed in the Western play-in tournament.Sengun’s four-footer from the middle of the key came after Golden State used a 17-6 burst to overtake the visitors on a ‌Gary Payton II layup with 19.6 seconds remaining.Golden State had a shot after Sengun’s hoop, but Curry misfired under heavy pressure from 30 feet, capping a 5-for-10 effort from three-point range.Jabari Smith Jr had 23 points, Amen Thompson 18 and Reed Sheppard 11 for the Rockets, who won their sixth straight game.Alperen Sengun led the Houston Rockets’ offence against the Golden State Warriors [Noah Graham/Getty Images via AFP]Curry, who ⁠had missed 27 straight games since a January 30 injury against Detroit, ⁠played 26 minutes, during which he hit 11 of his 21 shots.