SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alperen Sengun made the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left on a pass from Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets held off Stephen Curry in his return after being sidelined more than two months for a 117-116 victory Sunday night.
Curry missed a long, straightaway 3-pointer in the final seconds.
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Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) shoots a 3-point basket over Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green reacts after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots while defended by Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, left, kicks a pass by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Gary Payton II scored the go-ahead basket on a goaltend by Amen Thompson with 20 seconds left, but Durant took charge on the other end. He finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against his former team, making a crucial 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining.
But he missed with 38 seconds left, and Draymond Green found a cutting Payton in the key.
Curry dazzled down the stretch to score 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting in 26 minutes after missing 27 straight games because of a right knee injury — his first action since Jan. 30 against Detroit.
Curry's driving layup made it a one-point game with 1:27 left then Sengun converted a three-point play moments later only for Curry to hit a 3 on the other end.
Curry entered to a warm standing ovation and greetings on the big screen — he also expressed his gratitude on video — when he entered with 4:54 left in the opening quarter. It marked the first time he has come off the bench in a regular-season game since March 7, 2012, against Memphis. He last was a reserve in Game 4 of the first round of the 2022 playoffs during the Warriors’ last championship run.
Things briefly got heated midway through the second quarter when Green and Jabari Smith Jr. exchanged words and had to be separated. Smith wound up with 23 points and nine rebounds while Sengun added 24 points and Thompson 18 and seven assists.
Curry and younger brother Seth played together for the first time when Stephen re-entered the game at the 6:19 mark of the second quarter, the first time two brothers have been together in Warriors franchise history, according to Elias.
Seth Curry appeared in six preseason games for Golden State in 2013 then played for the team’s G League Santa Cruz Warriors that year — with the brothers playing all of 100 seconds together during the fourth quarter of two games during that ’13 preseason.
Rockets: Visit the Suns on Tuesday night.
Warriors: Host the Kings on Tuesday night.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) shoots a 3-point basket over Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green reacts after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots while defended by Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, left, kicks a pass by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.
The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.
But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.
“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”
U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.
The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.
Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.
Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.
Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”
About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.
The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.
But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.
Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.
Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”
Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
