Steph Curry returned to the Warriors' lineup Saturday after missing one game due to bilateral knee tendinitis.
Much like his Golden State team as a whole, Curry struggled in the first half before finding a groove later on, though it wasn't enough in a 113-105 road defeat to the Phoenix Suns.
Following the game, Curry was asked about the condition of his knees after his short time out.
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"They felt good tonight," Curry told reporters, referring to the pain in both of his knees (h/t Anthony Slater). "It was a rough start. I had to play better in the first half -- get myself going. I just was testing it out, seeing how they would respond with a little break, but it was good all the way through. When you miss a little bit -- I was only out one game -- the juices started flowing in the second half and hopefully that carries over."
Curry failed to convert on any of his five shot attempts from the field in the first half, but a strong third quarter helped him salvage a 23-point night on 8-for-21 shooting.
Though he has dealt with several leg injuries throughout his 16-year NBA career, Curry explained that this issue is a new one for him.
“It has the potential to be a nagging type of thing if you don’t take care of it," Curry elaborated. "Thankfully, Rick [Celebrini] has been great at trying to give me any protocol to stick with day to day, knowing that it's something I can get ahead of and not chase throughout the year, which is the plan.
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"So, I'm not worried about it or concerned about it at all. It's just the deeper you get into your career, the more things pop up, and you just got to figure it out."
After all, Father Time isn't defeated often, even to players of Curry's caliber. But the 36-year-old remained optimistic about how he responded to his current knee soreness, adding that neither knee is worse than the other.
"Honestly, I was happy to get through this one playing 30 [minutes] and not feeling it go the other way, feeling like it I was pretty strong," Curry detailed. "It got stronger as the game went on."
Curry stated he's unsure if this specific ailment will force him to miss any more games going forward.
"Whether that's a back-to-back here or there, we'll decide that as we go through," he said. "I'm just trying to control how I feel and know that it's not a forced decision. It's a smart decision."
The Warriors have two more days off before their next contest on Tuesday at the Denver Nuggets, so Curry has some more time to put his legs up and rehabilitate in the short term.