Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says having Stephen Curry back from injury puts his team "back in the fight" for the NBA playoffs.

Curry came off the bench against the Houston Rockets on Sunday in his first action since January 30 due to a right knee injury, but slotted straight back in despite 27 games on the sidelines.

He led the Warriors with 29 points in his 26 minutes on the court, but it was not enough to help them to victory as they were beaten 117-116 by the Rockets.

The two-time NBA MVP finished with 11-of-21 shooting and 5-of-10 from 3-point range, though the Warriors succumbed to a fourth straight loss, while dropping 12 of their last 16 contests.

Golden State are all but locked into the 10th seed in the Western Conference, meaning they would have to win back-to-back games in the NBA Play-In Tournament to earn the final playoff spot.

And Kerr believes they have the ability to do that with Curry back from injury.

"You can just feel it," Kerr said. "We're back in the mix.

Highlights from Stephen Curry's 29-point night pic.twitter.com/50yJ8P54RY

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 6, 2026

"We're back in the fight with Steph. It doesn't take much for him to find his rhythm. His rhythm is also our rhythm.

"He changes everything.

"I don't think there's a tougher defender in the league for him to have his first game against than Amen Thompson. That's quite a test. Steph looked amazing."

The Warriors are 36-42, meaning they will finish below 0.500 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

They have a quick turnaround with only four games left in the regular season, with the Sacramento Kings up next on Tuesday, but Curry is ready to continue the fight.

"Got to be smart and do the right thing for the right reasons," Curry said.

"All I'm looking forward to is Tuesday."