Befitting for Stephen Curry to resurrect the Chase Center crowd on Easter Sunday.

Curry's first outing since Jan. 30 for the Golden State Warriors began with a first-quarter standing ovation and ended with a 117-116 loss to the Houston Rockets. The superstar guard in his 17th season had missed 27 straight games with runner's knee, but he sparked his teammates and spectators the moment he started his pregame warmup.

In 26 minutes as a reserve, his first regular-season appearance off the bench since March 7, 2012, Curry provided 29 points (11-fot-21 shooting and 5-for-10 3-point shooting) and thrills whenever he had the ball. Brandin Podziemski added 18 points for the Warriors, who got seven points, six rebounds and 12 assists from Draymond Green - remaining 10th in the Western Conference. 

Kevin Durant led Houston with 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Alperen Sengun made the go-ahead layup with 11.1 seconds to play. Curry missed a contested 3-pointer as time expired.

Curry took the floor for warmups as a choral rendition of "Father Stretch My Hands" blared and underwent his famed routine with a pep in his step. A bigger-than-usual gallery oohed and aahed, swelling into a sellout crowd - giddier to see Curry play than an egg-hunting kid on Easter morning.

After drawing enthused applause for his entrance at the 4:54 mark in the first quarter, Curry used his gravity to open big man Charles Bassey - who had five points and four rebounds in his team debut - for a two-handed dunk via pick-and-roll. Curry opened Podziemski for a 3-pointer and Bassey for another two - adding two triples, a driving deuce and cutting deuce in 11 first-half minutes.

The Warriors (36-42) trailed 55-53 at halftime with Curry checking in again at the 8:38 mark in the third quarter. He added a mid-range jumper and floater, later crossing over Durant and finishing a layup through contact to cheers - adding a shimmy from his seat on the court that garnered cheers when shown on replay.

Then came a stepback triple over Tari Eason and two free throws courtesy of Durant - capping an 11-point quarter.

Curry's final shift began with 6:56 to play and included a triple and layup from Draymond Green and a dime to Gary Payton II. Curry's 3-pointer in the final minute pulled the Warriors within a point, preceding Green's go-ahead pass to Payton with 19.5 seconds to play.

Sengun's go-ahead layup followed.

Rockets 117, Warriors 116

Percentages: FG .550, FT .842.

3-Point Goals: 13-29, .448 (Smith Jr. 5-7, Durant 3-6, Holiday 2-3, Sheppard 2-4, Sengun 1-5, Eason 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 7 (Durant 3, Sengun 2, Holiday, Sheppard).

Turnovers: 13 (Durant 3, Sengun 2, Smith Jr. 2, Thompson 2, Eason, Holiday, Okogie, Sheppard).

Steals: 4 (Sheppard 2, Eason, Thompson).

Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .500, FT .900.

3-Point Goals: 14-40, .350 (St.Curry 5-10, Melton 2-4, Podziemski 2-6, Santos 2-8, D.Green 1-1, Spencer 1-2, Se.Curry 1-3, Payton II 0-3, Porzingis 0-3).

Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: None.

Blocked Shots: 3 (Bassey 2, Melton).

Turnovers: 10 (Santos 3, Podziemski 2, Bassey, D.Green, Melton, Se.Curry, St.Curry).

Steals: 7 (Santos 2, D.Green, Podziemski, Se.Curry, Spencer, St.Curry).

Technical Fouls: None.

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The Warriors next play Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center.

This article originally published at Steph Curry provides thrills, 29 points but Warriors are edged by Rockets.