De’Anthony Melton

Warriors Notes: Green, Kerr, Horford, Melton, Richard

December 23rd, 2025 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors picked up a second straight victory on Monday, beating Orlando by 23 points to get back to .500 (15-15). As Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, Golden State got exactly the kind of tag-team performance it wanted to see from Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, who led the team with 26 and 21 points, respectively.

However, the big story of the night was a third-quarter spat between head coach Steve Kerr and Draymond Green. The two men engaged in a heated argument in a team huddle during a timeout (Twitter video link), resulting in Green leaving the court and not playing for the game’s final 20 minutes, as Anthony Slater of ESPN details. Kerr said after the game that he and Green “had it out a little bit” and that it was the forward’s decision to head to the locker room to “cool off.”

“Tempers spilled over, and I thought it was best that I get out of there,” Green confirmed. “I don’t think it was a situation where it was going to get better. It was best to remove myself.”

According to Slater, teammates Butler, Al Horford, and Buddy Hield checked on Green during the third quarter and the former Defensive Player of the Year returned to the bench in the fourth quarter. He remained on the sidelines for the rest of the night, with Kerr explaining to reporters that he didn’t seriously consider reinserting Green into the game.

“No, he wasn’t going back in,” Kerr said. “No. He left. He went back to the locker room. We moved forward, and the guys played great.”

Green’s play has been under a microscope lately due largely to his turnover issues — he committed a combined 13 turnovers in the Warriors’ two most recent losses, and Golden State has been outscored during his time on the court in his past six games (including by five points on Monday).

Still, Kerr said he thought Green played well in the first half vs. Orlando and stressed that the team “needs” the 35-year-old going forward. For his part, Green downplayed the incident and suggested he didn’t think there would be any lingering effects.

“We’ve been at this now for a long time,” Green said. “Sometimes you’re with people for a long time and there’s a level of comfort and s–t happens. We move forward.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Horford, who has played just once in the past month as he dealt with sciatica, could be back in action for the Christmas Day game vs. Dallas, Kerr said on Monday (Twitter link via Slater).
Guard De’Anthony Melton has played between 15 and 21 minutes in each of his seven appearances since making his season debut following his recovery from an ACL tear. According to Kerr, Melton could play more than that if needed, but the head coach’s preference would be to keep him in that 20-minute range for now (Twitter link via Slater).
In a profile for The Athletic, Nick Friedell takes a look at rookie Will Richard‘s path to the NBA, detailing how the guard transformed his body in high school and then capped off his college career with a national championship. “He’s a winner,” Butler said of his teammate. “He’s hella smart. But I think the thing that I love the most about Will is his ability to listen. You tell him what to do, to the best of his ability he’s going to do it. … It’s really hard to try to please everybody because you can be told five different things from five different people, and he’s the type of human being that’s going to try to do all five of those things that everybody’s telling him. They could totally contradict each other, but he’s a hellafied listener.”
Kerr remains confident about the Warriors’ ability to contend in the Western Conference despite the team’s up-and-down start to the season, per Friedell. “Look, our goal coming into the season was to be a top-four seed, and I still think it’s well within our reach,” Kerr said on Sunday. “But it can be daunting if you look and you go, ‘Man, we’re five, six games back.’ But we know how fast things can flip if we can take care of our business and find some momentum because everybody else is gonna go through tough stretches too.”

Warriors Notes: Curry, Kuminga, Backcourt, Green

December 13th, 2025 at 8:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stephen Curry showed no effects from the quad injury that sidelined him for five games as he returned to the court Friday night, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. Even though the Warriors lost to Minnesota, Curry gave the offense a much-needed lift with 39 points in 32 minutes while making 14 of his 28 shots from the field.

“Started to feel normal again,” he said. “So individually, it was a good first game back just to get my lungs back and feel like myself.”

Curry came out firing, taking six shots and scoring 10 points during his eight-minute stint in the first quarter. He also helped to erase a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter with 14 points, including a trio of three-pointers. He didn’t travel with the team on its three-game road trip, staying in San Francisco to get treatment on the injury and participate in a Wednesday night scrimmage.

“He looked great,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Just the movement, the flow. I asked him how he was feeling after the first eight-minute run in the first quarter, and he said, ‘I feel great.'”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Curry responded to questions this week about Jonathan Kuminga, who hasn’t played in the past two games after being pulled from the rotation, relays Nick Friedell of The Athletic. Curry expressed support for the young forward, stating that he’ll likely get another chance to contribute before long. “We still have high hopes that he’ll impact our team this year,” Curry said. “But it’s just an idea you can’t lose your spirit when things aren’t going your way, because you’re a game or two away from it coming right back to you. And if you’ve checked out, or if you’re still not engaged in the learning process, then you might miss your moment on the back end. So it is a back-and-forth, and it’s the responsibility of both sides. As a team, it’s our job to support him because we know he’s a great dude, a very talented player, (and) we still have belief that he can help us.”
Curry’s return creates a crowded situation in the Golden State backcourt, observes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). The team has nine guards on its roster, and the availability of De’Anthony Melton, who made his season debut last Thursday, along with the emergence of Pat Spencer will lead to some difficult decisions regarding playing time. “We have a lot of guys now and it’s a great problem to have but it’s not an easy problem to solve, because I also would say there’s not a ton of separation between our players,” Kerr said. “… You always like to have a set rotation, but we’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
Draymond Green will rejoin the team Sunday in Portland, but it hasn’t been determined if he’s going to play, according to Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area. Green has missed the past three games for personal reasons, and Kerr told reporters that the right mid-foot sprain he aggravated last week has healed. “It’s just a question of whether (director of sports medicine and performance) Rick (Celebrini) feels comfortable putting him out there,” Kerr said. “So, he’ll meet us in Portland and we’ll assess him there.”

Warriors Notes: Defense, Curry, Melton, Kuminga, Spencer

December 10th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors have the NBA’s top defense over the past two weeks and rank third in the league for the season, writes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). Golden State has held its last three opponents under 100 points and has shown significant improvement in that area since Draymond Green blasted the defensive effort following a November 26 loss to Houston.

The team doesn’t have much size on defense, but Gordon notes that it’s able to compensate by wearing down opponents with ball pressure and frequently switching between man-to-man and zone. The addition of De’Anthony Melton, who made his season debut last week after recovering from an ACL tear, has given the Warriors another capable on-ball-defender.

“We’re taking away some of the easy stuff. Some of that is taking better care of the ball,” coach Steve Kerr said. “When you’re in control of the game, you just feel like your defense is set up. Overall, we’re doing a better job containing dribble penetration and just helping each other and playing with a lot of energy.”

The offense ranks just 22nd, which Kerr attributes to a lingering turnover problem, but scoring from unexpected sources has helped the Warriors survive some early-season injuries. Gordon notes that backup point guard Pat Spencer is averaging 16 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 59.1% from the field over the past four games while Stephen Curry is sidelined with a quad contusion and muscle strain.

“He’s a really good downhill pick-and-roll player, which is a powerful force,” Kerr said of Spencer. “You need that type of action, especially in the modern game with the floor spacing. And he’s a good passer.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Curry was able to participate in a full scrimmage on Wednesday, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). No decision has been made on his status for Friday’s game against Minnesota, but Kerr said it looks promising that the two-time MVP will be able to play.
The team will continue to be cautious with Melton, who has logged 21 and 17 minutes in his two games since returning, Slater adds (Twitter link). Kerr plans to keep Melton in that range until his conditioning returns and probably won’t use him on both ends of back-to-backs.
Kerr addressed the status of Jonathan Kuminga, who will be become eligible to be traded on January 15 (Twitter video link from Slater). Speculation that Kuminga will be shipped out increased after he received a DNP in Sunday’s game at Chicago. “I can imagine it’s not easy for him,” Kerr said. “We talked about the situation. My desire is for JK to be the best player he can be, regardless of where he ends up, whether it’s here or elsewhere.”
Spencer, who was considered one of best lacrosse players in NCAA history, talked about why he chose to pursue a career in basketball in a video posted at NBC Sports Bay Area.

Warriors Notes: Horford, Green, Curry, Richard, A. Davis

December 6th, 2025 at 5:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Al Horford was excited about the opportunity to join the Warriors, but his first few weeks with the team haven’t worked out as planned. The veteran center has only been available for 13 of Golden State’s first 23 games and is averaging 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per night. He admits to Nick Friedell of The Athletic that he’s disappointed with his performance so far.

“I’m not where I want to be,” Horford said. “I would say I haven’t been very good. I understand that there’s a lot of work ahead of me, there’s more that I need to do, and I need to be better, and I feel like I will. But right now, I’m not where I want to be.”

Injuries have played a part in Horford’s early-season frustrations, as he just returned Thursday after missing about two weeks with sciatica. Golden State isn’t using him in both ends of back-to-backs, just like Boston’s policy over the past two years, to avoid putting too much strain on his body during the long season. After playing 18 minutes on Thursday at Philadelphia, Horford said he believes he’s making progress physically.

“I felt pretty good tonight,” he said. “Obviously, not playing or anything, that’s always challenging, so trying to get my legs back under me, but it’s just nice to get back on the floor. Things didn’t go our way tonight, the game didn’t go our way, I’m still trying to find myself as well, but I was encouraged with some of the things tonight.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Horford will miss Saturday’s game at Cleveland as part of a lengthy injured list that also includes Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Seth Curry and De’Anthony Melton, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). He adds that there’s optimism about Green, who injured his right foot during Thursday’s game and left the arena in a walking boot. Slater states that Green was able to do some shooting on his own after this morning’s shootaround (Twitter link).
Coach Steve Kerr said Stephen Curry is making progress in his recovery from a thigh contusion and “it’s realistic” that he could return Friday against Minnesota (Twitter link).
At 22, Will Richard was viewed as old for a prospect heading into this year’s draft, but he believes he benefited from playing four seasons in college, writes Kenzo Fukuda of ClutchPoints. Richard has been a surprise contributor for Golden State after being selected with the 56th pick. “I feel like those four years at Florida helped me out with my experience,” he said. “I feel like it helped me adjust much quicker than if I were an 18-year-old freshman or something like that. So no knock to the guys that get drafted who are younger than me. … I know my journey is different from everyone else, so I’m happy how it went.”
Rumors that the Warriors are among the teams pursuing Mavericks big man Anthony Davis are untrue, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who tweets that Golden State hasn’t contacted Dallas about a potential deal and doesn’t plan to during the season.

Warriors Notes: Butler, Melton, Horford, Draymond, Spencer

December 4th, 2025 at 11:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said prior to Thursday’s game in Philadelphia that Jimmy Butler underwent an MRI on his sore left knee, according Nick Friedell of The Athletic.

As Friedell writes, while the team doesn’t seem overly concerned about Butler’s knee, it remains to be seen when the 36-year-old forward will return to action — he missed the second half of Tuesday’s loss to Okalahoma City after experiencing the injury and was out Thursday as well.

Golden State has a road back-to-back this weekend, but then has four days off before its next game on December 12, which will likely be Stephen Curry‘s target return date.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

De’Anthony Melton gave the Warriors a spark off the bench on Thurday in his season debut, recording 14 points, three assists, two steals and a block in 21 minutes of action. Kerr said before the game that Melton, who had been recovering from an ACL tear, would be on a restriction of approximately 20 minutes, per Friedell. “It’s been a long time since he’s played in an NBA game, so this is about getting his feet wet, finding a comfort zone out on the floor,” Kerr said. “You can scrimmage all you want, but it’s not like being in an NBA game. So I’m excited to get him back. He’s a hell of a player and he’s worked really hard in his rehab to get himself back to this point.”
After missing the past four games with sciatica, Al Horford was active against his former team on Thursday and wound up making his first start of the season, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. While the 39-year-old big man struggled with his shot again, going 1-for-8 from the field (1-of-7 from long distance), he did chip in six rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block, and the team was plus-three in his 18 minutes.
Forward/center Draymond Green injured his right foot late in the second quarter during Thursday’s one-point loss after Dominick Barlow fell on it (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area). The Warriors quickly ruled Green out at halftime, and while the former Defensive Player of the Year was in a walking boot in the locker room, he told Slater that he wants and expects to keep playing through the pain. Green sprained the same foot a couple weeks ago when Donovan Clingan landed on it, Slater notes.
Golden State is now below .500 for the first time this season after dropping Thursday’s game, Slater adds. The Warriors, who are 11-12, mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 26, only to see the bid fall short in the closing seconds of a chaotic and entertaining ending.
One bright spot on Thursday was third-year guard Pat Spencer, who is on a two-way contract. He was instrumental in the comeback, recording 16 points (on 5-of-8 shooting), four rebounds and four assists, with the Warriors outscoring the 76ers by 16 points in his 24 minutes. After the game, Kerr said he’s hoping to see Spencer get promoted to a standard contract at some point — the 29-year-old has been active for all 23 games this season and can be available for up to 50 contests, as Slater relays (Twitter video link). “It would be great to find a way to get him on the (standard) roster,” Kerr said. Still, Kerr acknowledged it would be “tricky” to convert Spencer — the standard roster is now full after Golden State signed Seth Curry, and the team is operating only about $264K below its hard cap.

De’Anthony Melton To Make Season Debut On Thursday

December 3rd, 2025 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton will make his season debut on Thursday against one of his former teams in Philadelphia, tweets ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Melton, who has spent the fall going through the final phase of his recovery from an ACL tear, isn’t on the Warriors’ initial injury report for Thursday’s contest vs. the Sixers. He’ll be available for the first time since he suffered that knee injury on November 12, 2024, nearly 13 months ago.

After signing a one-year contract with the Warriors during the 2024 offseason, Melton appeared in just six games for Golden State before his season came to an early end. He looked like a great fit in the backcourt during that very small sample, averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals in 20.2 minutes per contest. The team had a +10.9 net rating during his 121 minutes of action.

Melton, who returned to the Warriors this fall after being traded to Brooklyn last season, also missed a significant portion of the 2023/24 season due to a back issue and has appeared in just 14 regular season and playoff games since the calendar flipped to 2024. With that in mind, it’s safe to assume head coach Steve Kerr will be conservative with the 27-year-old as he returns to the court — he figures to be on a minutes restriction for the foreseeable future.

Still, Melton’s return will be a welcome one for a Warriors team that’s missing star guard Stephen Curry due to a quad contusion. Curry may not be the only rotation player who is inactive on Thursday, as several others – including Jimmy Butler (left knee soreness), Jonathan Kuminga (right ankle soreness), and Quinten Post (left ankle sprain) – are listed as questionable to play.

Warriors’ De’Anthony Melton Close To Season Debut

November 29th, 2025 at 6:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

De’Anthony Melton‘s season debut may happen sometime next week, the Warriors announced (via Twitter).

Melton has been ruled out for the final two games of the current home stand — tonight against New Orleans and Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City — but he could be available at some point during a three-game road trip to Philadelphia on Thursday, Cleveland next Saturday and Chicago next Sunday.

The team states that Melton has made “good progress” in his recovery from a torn ACL and continues to participate in scrimmages with his teammates and Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.

Melton signed a one-year, $12.8MM contract with the Warriors in July of 2024, but he only appeared in six games before suffering the injury last November. He underwent surgery on December 4 and missed the rest of the season.

He was productive during his brief time on the court, which included two starts, averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.2 minutes per night while posting .407/.371/.625 shooting numbers.

Melton re-signed with Golden State in October, agreeing to a $3MM deal that includes a $3.45MM player option for 2026/27. He reached a tentative agreement during the summer, but he was one of several players who had to wait for Jonathan Kuminga‘s contract standoff to be resolved before their deals could be finalized.

Melton is expected to play a significant role in the Warriors’ rotation once he returns. The 27-year-old combo guard has seen his career slowed by injuries lately, but he received Sixth Man of the Year votes with Memphis in 2021/22.

Pacific Notes: Allen, Dunn, Kuminga, Melton, LeBron

November 26th, 2025 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns guard Grayson Allen is missing his sixth straight game tonight with a right quad contusion, but the team is hoping he can return this weekend, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Phoenix plays at Oklahoma City Friday night, then returns home to face Denver on Saturday, so it’s possible Allen could be cleared for at least one of those games.

“Thought it was day-to-day,” coach Jordan Ott said in Wednesday’s pregame press conference. “It’s dragged on a little bit. It was just not your average quad contusion. He got a good one, but he’s still making progress. The goal is to continue to assess, see the progress that he makes day-to-day and get him out there this weekend.”

Allen played an important role in the Suns’ strong start, averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 46.8% from the field and 44.7% from three-point range. He got hurt in a November 13 game, and team doctors eventually realized the injury was more severe than it first appeared.

“The last couple of days where it’s like, OK, he’s making progress, but he’s not out there with us,” Ott said. “He had swelling. We don’t know exactly how long it was going to take. He’s still in a good place. Just now we’re not practicing, there are so many of these games you don’t seem him out there to go up and down, 5-on-5, but he did his stuff post shootaround today. The goal is to get him out there as fast as possible.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Ott also provided an update on Ryan Dunn, who is missing his third straight game with a sprained right wrist, Rankin adds. The second-year small forward worked on conditioning and ball-handling after the Suns‘ shootaround this morning. “He’s obviously handling the ball a little bit more,” Ott said. “The shooting piece will come when he feels good. That could take a jump at any time.”
Coach Steve Kerr was encouraged after watching Jonathan Kuminga, De’Anthony Melton and Gui Santos scrimmage with the Warriors‘ G League team on Wednesday, writes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. He said Kuminga “looked good” and is “moving well” as he works his way back from bilateral knee tendonitis. Kerr had a similar review of Melton, who’s recovering from a torn ACL, adding, “The toughest challenge for him will be rhythm.”
LeBron James experienced conditioning issues Sunday in Utah, but he looked more like his normal self as the Lakers defeated the Clippers on Tuesday, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times. Playing his third game since returning from sciatica, James posted 25 points, six rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes. “It will get better every game,” he responded when asked about his conditioning. “Today was another … testament to that. So great win for us, but I’m starting to feel better and better.”

Pacific Notes: Melton, Kuminga, Murray, Christie, Brooks

November 26th, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors assigned a trio of players to the G League on Wednesday, with guard De’Anthony Melton and forwards Jonathan Kuminga and Gui Santos all joining the Santa Cruz Warriors in order to scrimmage, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. Santos was getting some conditioning work in, while Melton and Kuminga are in the final stages of injury recoveries.

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Warriors are optimistic that Melton will be able to make his season debut following an ACL tear during the first week of December. The veteran guard is due to be reevaluated this weekend.

As for Kuminga, who has been sidelined due to bilateral knee tendonitis, the hope is that he won’t have any setbacks during his scrimmages with Santa Cruz. If that’s the case, there’s an expectation that the fifth-year forward could be back on the court at some point during Golden State’s current home stand, which wraps up on December 2, Siegel reports.

We have more from around the Pacific:

The Kings have won two of three games since Keegan Murray made his season debut, and the fourth-year forward was especially effective in Monday’s overtime victory over Minnesota, with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Teammate DeMar DeRozan spoke after that win about what Murray’s return means to the team, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter). “It’s everything,” DeRozan said. “Keegan is the key to this team. It’s his team. He’s one of those guys who’s going to be very, very special in this league and he’s showing it.”
While there have been some questions about Doug Christie‘s job security in Sacramento, Kings general manager Scott Perry told Sam Amick of The Athletic this week that he has “complete confidence” in Christie to “lead this team into better times.” Sacramento’s head coach appreciated the public show of support, according to Anderson. “His backing, the alignment from him, is huge,” Christie said. “He hasn’t said anything to me differently, so I’m glad that he said that (publicly). More than anything, it’s about us playing a style and a brand of basketball that Sacramento Kings fans can be proud of. On the path to that, there are a lot of steps to that, but first things first. I appreciate that from Scott. Obviously, when the boss speaks highly of you, it’s a good thing.”
Playing against the Rockets on Monday for the first time since Houston traded him to Phoenix over the summer, Suns forward Dillon Brooks talked trash to his former teammates and accused them of flopping, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. However, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka took it in stride, telling reporters that Brooks’ impact during his two years in Houston was “invaluable” and he doesn’t mind the forward’s tendency to push boundaries. “To bring in a veteran, like him and Fred (Van Vleet), to change the culture and environment, the competitiveness on a nightly basis,” Udoka said. “You’ve seen that happen here. I don’t mind at all. We both toe the line I guess at times, but he’s a guy that I love and have a ton of respect for.”

Injury Notes: Melton, Banchero, McDaniels, Garland

November 19th, 2025 at 6:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors provided an update on guard De’Anthony Melton on Wednesday, announcing in a press release that Melton has intensified his workouts and participated in practices and scrimmages with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League (Twitter link). According to the club, Melton will continue to be integrated in practices and scrimmages with the NBA team and will be reevaluated in 10 days.

Melton tore his ACL last November and underwent surgery to repair the tear on December 4, sidelining him for the rest of the 2024/25 season. He has continued to progress through the final stages of his recovery after rejoining Golden State on a minimum-salary deal prior to the season.

According to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link), December has been the “floating target” for Melton’s season debut, so he could be just a few weeks away from returning to action.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who is dealing with a left groin strain, will remain out for a fourth straight game on Thursday vs. the Clippers, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. It’s worth keeping a close eye on how much time Banchero misses, since his maximum-salary rookie scale extension includes Rose Rule language — he could earn a significant raise if he makes an All-NBA team this season, but he’d only be eligible if he appears in at least 65 games.
Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has been diagnosed with a sprained left wrist after exiting Monday’s game in the third quarter due to the injury, per The Associated Press. McDaniels will sit out on Wednesday vs. Washington, marking his first injury absence since December 8, 2023. The 25-year-old is off to a hot start, having averaged 17.5 points per contest with a 52.1% mark on three-pointers through 14 games.
Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland will miss a fifth straight game on Wednesday after re-injuring his surgically repaired left great toe last week, but head coach Kenny Atkinson doesn’t anticipate Garland’s absence lasting much longer. “He is close,” Atkinson said (Twitter link via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com). “Really close.”

Load More Posts