Warriors lean on veterans for visit from slumping Kings
The Golden State Warriors are looking for more big contributions from newcomers Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton when they continue their long homestand against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
Horford posted a season-high 10 rebounds, along with eight points, six assists, and two blocks. Melton hit five 3-pointers, forming the basis of a 22-point contribution as Golden State started an eight-game home stand with a 120-113 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
After watching the 39-year-old Horford play 19 minutes, his most since mid-November, and Melton score a season-high in just his 13th game since ACL surgery last November, Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted to reporters after the win that he can't wait to play the veterans even more.
"We're starting to get to the point where we've been able to bump his minutes up," Kerr said of Horford, who missed seven straight games in December with back issues. "He looks healthy, feelin' good, so to play him 19 minutes tonight gave us a really good rotation. He was terrific. He did everything -- rebounded, passed, blocked a couple shots. Fun to watch Al play.
"They were both great. As soon as Rick (Celebrini, the team's director of sports medicine and performance) tells me (Melton) can play 30 minutes, then there's gonna be nights where he plays 30 minutes. He's a hell of a player."
Melton had yet to make his season debut when the Warriors went to Sacramento without Stephen Curry (illness), Jimmy Butler III (sore back) and Draymond Green (bruised ribs) and suffered a 121-116 loss on Nov. 5.
Like Milwaukee, which had an early-season home win over Golden State, the matchup with Sacramento gives the Warriors a shot to exact revenge as the scene shifts to San Francisco.
A visit from the Kings offers Warriors fans a chance to evaluate potential trade targets, as Golden State and Sacramento have often been linked as potential partners in the possible relocation of Jonathan Kuminga. The 23-year-old hasn't played in the Warriors' last 10 games, as he and the team wait for next Thursday, when he becomes eligible to be traded.
Kuminga has enjoyed significant success against the Kings, including scoring 24 points and grabbing nine rebounds as a starter in the earlier meeting this season. He scored 18 points when the Warriors won 130-104 during Sacramento's most recent visit last March.
The Kings, who are struggling through a six-game losing streak, have two close salary matches to Kuminga's $22.5 million. DeMar DeRozan is earning $24.57 million this season in the second-to-last year of his Kings contract, while Malik Monk checks in at $18.8 million with two more years remaining on his deal.
In a recent interview with Andscape, Kings general manager Scott Perry committed to a long-term vision for the franchise and emphasized that adding young talent is preferred over quick fixes that might only lead to a run at this year's playoffs.
"I was hired to build a sustainable winner," he insisted. "And my vision, which is shared by top-to-bottom ownership and everybody in the building, is to build a sustainable winner. I think that takes a little more time than quick fixes."
The Kings have lost six straight road games, with their last win away from home coming more than a month ago on Dec. 6 at Miami.