Warriors' De'Anthony Melton Has ACL Sprain; Out vs. Grizzlies with Knee Injury

Golden State Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton has suffered a sprained left ACL, the team announced on Thursday.

He will miss Friday's home game against the Memphis Grizzlies with the injury. The Warriors did not announce a timeline for his return.

Melton suffered the injury during Tuesday's win over the Dallas Mavericks, although he finished out the game, ESPN's Kendra Andrews noted.

He recorded 14 points, four assists and four rebounds while playing 26 minutes to help the Warriors open NBA Cup group play with a 120-117 victory.

Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters he wasn't sure when in the game Melton's injury had occurred, per Danny Emerman of The Mercury News.

"He's obviously a really important player for us, the guy who we envisioned and has done a good job as the starting two-guard," Kerr said, per Emerman. "It's a concern, for sure, but we'll know more over the next few days."

Kerr continued: "It's disappointing. It was really the perfect mix. De'Anthony does a little bit of everything: on-ball defense, rebounding, 3-point shooting, playmaking. Great fit, and that's why we targeted him. The fact that he's going to be out the next game is a bummer. We were finding some momentum.

"We'll see how this unfolds. We've got options, we've got a lot of depth and we're very capable of filling in. But it's very disappointing for him and for us."

Melton was averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in just over 20 minutes per game. He had appeared in six games, and had started the last two, prior to his injury.

He was sidelined for five straight games earlier this season with a strained lower back. The team announced in October that an MRI scan had revealed no structural damage.

Kerr said he is now set to go through further testing on his latest injury, per Emerman.

The latest injury setback is a blow for the Warriors, who signed Melton this offseason hoping to see him bounce back from an injury-ridden 2023-24 campaign during which he was limited to just 38 appearances with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Buddy Hield, Moses Moody and Gary Payton II could be candidates to move into the starting lineup as the Warriors look to build on their 9-2 start while challenging the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot in the West.