Fit-again Warriors superstar Curry revels back in his 'happy place'

Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry was not quite sure what to expect on his comeback but scored 23 points in his 27 minutes on court.

Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry is happy to be back on court.

Stephen Curry said he was back in his "happy place" as he made up for lost time on his long-awaited Golden State Warriors return in a defeat to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.

The two-time NBA MVP had been sidelined since suffering a broken left hand during a clash with the Phoenix Suns last October.

Curry scored 23 points in his first match for just over four months but was unable to prevent the Warriors from slumping to a 121-113 loss against the defending champion at Chase Center.

The superstar guard was just pleased to be back on court following such a lengthy absence in a season to forget for injury-hit Golden State.

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Asked how he coped with being out for so long, Curry replied: "You kind of deal with the new reality as it comes.

"Coming into the season, obviously four games in I was excited about trying to help lead the team where we wanted to go, chase the playoffs and all that but it was taken away.

"You've got to be productive in all aspects while you are out, with the rehab and the opportunity to appreciate life outside of basketball as well. I'm happy to be back in my happy place, for sure, but a lot of good happened over these last four months."

Curry said he felt comfortable as he hit the ground running, having not known quite what to expect in his comeback.

"It felt great, it was a lot of energy, anticipation for tonight and just getting back out there on the floor and seeing what was going to happen." said the three-time NBA champion.

"It was kind of a cool moment, just the excitement and energy in the building and I didn't really know what to expect, how to handle the minute restriction and all that, I just tried to get my first shot and just get comfortable out there.

"But throughout the 27 minutes I felt good, so I'm excited to be back out there.

"We had some good moments, obviously Toronto is a championship team that has a lot of chemistry and they know how to win, so for us it was a good step in the right direction. Everybody just competing and we can build off of this."

-Warriors out of the woods with Curry return-

Curry's sparkling return to action has Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr hoping his team's struggles are at an end.

In his absence, the Warriors have slumped to the league's worst record and are now 14-49 after the Raptors prevailed 121-113 at Chase Center.

However, Curry offered a dazzling reminder of his considerable qualities with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds during 27 minutes on the court.

"To me, it feels like it's on again," Kerr, whose men will miss out on the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12, told reporters.

"We're now through the woods, as I said before the game. We can start looking ahead and using these games to prepare ourselves for trying to reach a higher level of play."

Kerr understandably decided to proceed cautiously with the amount of minutes granted to Curry but pledged to step up his star point guard's workload over the coming weeks.

"I thought he looked great, moved well," he said. "It was not the ideal set of circumstances for him - we were taking him in and out of the lineup to keep his minutes down and to keep his stints shorter. He's not used to that.

"But he obviously gave us a huge lift, and he changes the whole game when he's out there.

"Our fans could see it, they could feel it. We're a different team, obviously, when he's on the court.

"So, great to have him back, and it'll be fun the next week or so to continue to build up his minutes and get him back into the groove."

The Warriors' problems this season have extended far beyond being without Curry for an extended period, with Klay Thompson missing all of 2019-20 due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Kerr currently has Draymond Green and Kevon Looney nursing respective knee and hip complaints.

Although an MRI scan on Green has come back clear, the Warriors coach conceded Looney's status is a cause of consternation.

"That's a concern and we'll have an update [on Friday]," he added. "He had some momentum and he was playing really well for us.

"So this is a bump in the road, hopefully, but we'll have an update when he has a chance to be evaluated by our doctors."