Warriors' Steph Curry Talks 'Really Weird' Hand Injury Return

Golden State Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry returned to the lineup Thursday night after more than four months on the sideline because of a broken hand, calling it "really weird" to rejoin a Dubs squad that's focused on building for the future rather than chasing a championship.

The Warriors own a 14-49 record, the worst mark in the NBA, following Thursday's 121-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Curry told reporters those struggles, paired with the absences of Draymond Green (knee injury) and Klay Thompson (torn ACL), created a different vibe starting in warm-ups:

"That actually hit me during two-line layups because I have a lot of routines that I rely on in terms of getting ready for the game. Draymond usually throws me a pass to the corner at a certain time; he wasn't out there. Nobody got hype for my little scoop shot, so really weird for sure. That's the nature of the season—we're trying to build something new based off the culture that we have and that championship identity. It's going to take some time, but it was fun just getting out there and playing with the guys where you're trying to build chemistry on the fly."

Curry was predictably a bit rusty in his first NBA action since late October. He hit just six of his 16 shots, including three of 12 from beyond the arc, but still matched Damion Lee with a team-high 23 points. He added seven assists, seven rebounds and just a single turnover in 27 minutes.

Although Golden State will soon be eliminated from playoff contention, the two-time MVP said the final quarter of the regular season will be a valuable "learning experience" for the younger players:

"And for the young guys, it's going to do wonders for them. We've been telling them that all year. The record sucks—we all know that. We all want to win more games, but in terms of trial by fire out there on the floor, it's very similar to how my rookie year went. You play through your mistakes, you learn on the fly. You get exposed at times.

"As competitors, no one likes that feeling, walking off the floor with your head down, but for them you have to look at the big picture how this is going to provide huge benefits down road when we get fully healthy and understand what we're about as a team. Excited about these last 20 games—what they will mean for next year."

On a personal level, Curry explained he must get over the mental hurdle of playing after recovering from a significant injury, saying, "I just want to get to a point where I don't think about it on the floor, and hopefully that comes back pretty quick."

The 31-year-old noted before the game he hoped to play all of the Warriors' remaining games, including back-to-backs.

Golden State returns to action Saturday night to face the Philadelphia 76ers. The game will be nationally broadcast on ABC, with an 8:30 p.m. ET tip.