Stephen Curry, the reigning MVP of the most popular professional basketball league in the world, has returned to the hard wood in an emphatic way.

Curry, who was sidelined due to a sprained right knee, came back from missing four postseason games when he played for the league's depending champions Golden State Warriors in the Game Four of their best-of-seven Western Conference Semifinals series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at the Moda Center.

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"I love this game, I love playing and love competing. And really, really missed being out there with my teammates," Curry, who scored 40 big points in Game Four including the 17 points during the overtime period, said."To help our team get a win tonight and in that fashion, that was a good feeling in that moment to be back on the floor and playing."

The 2016 PBWA Magic Johnson Award recipient was rusty for the first three quarters of the first game he played. Curry missed his first nine attempts in the three-point range. He got his shooting touch back in the four-minute mark of the fourth period and ended the night going 5 for 16 from beyond the arc.

The game went on to overtime and Curry showcased his scoring skills by pouring in 17 of the 21 points the Warriors made in the extra five minutes of the match.

Curry led the league with 30.1 points per contest and broke his own record for 3-pointers by nailing 402, becoming the first player in NBA history to top 300.

The Warriors' No. 1 point guard averaged 6.7 dimes and 5.4 boards and led the in the league with 2.1 steals per contest. Curry is shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 45.4 percent from 3-point range and 90.8 percent from the free throw line. 

TagsStephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, NBA 2016, 2016 nba playoffs, Most Valuable Player