Warriors’ De’Anthony Melton out with sprained left ACL, no timeline for return

While everyone was focused on Stephen Curry scoring the Warriors’ final 12 points and spoiling Klay Thompson’s return to the Bay Area, through the end of that game it was clear Golden State guard De’Anthony Melton was in some pain. He limped a little and played through something, but he gutted it out and finished the game.

That something turned out to be a sprained left ACL, the team announced.

There is no timeline for his return and how long he is out will depend on the severity of the sprain, but this is at least weeks Melton will be out. It’s not clear exactly when Melton injured the knee.

This is a blow to the Warriors ‘depth, Melton had just moved into the starting lineup for two games (including against Dallas) and thrived in that role averaging 16.5 points, 7 rebounds a game (up from his season-long numbers of 10.3 points and 3.3 rebounds a night). Melton had already missed five games this season due to a lower back strain. The Warriors, using their depth, won all five of those games, but in the biggest stages they will need Melton’s two-way play.

With Melton out, expect Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and Brandin Podziemski to get a little extra run.

Melton joined the Warriors on a one-year, $12.8 million contract (the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception). He is an unrestricted free agent next summer.