Brandin Podziemski (back) available Friday

Curry and Podziemski did not play in Saturday’s loss to the Suns for injury management reasons. Their returns will push Brandon Williams and Will Richard to the bench.

Melton didn’t start Saturday’s game, but Stephen Curry’s and Brandin Podziemski’s absences gave him more opportunities. Melton took advantage, scoring 25 points, the most he’s scored in a game since 27 against the Wizards on March 16. Add in the rebounds, assists and steals, and Saturday night was a good one for fantasy managers who slotted Melton into their lineups.

No surprise here as Curry said after Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies that he probably wouldn’t play against the Suns Saturday. With Brandin Podziemski also out, De’Anthony Melton and Will Richard could start and see significant minutes.

Podziemski entered Friday’s game dealing with a sore lower back that kept him out of Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers. It didn’t help matters that he took an inadvertent forearm from Grizzlies center Zach Edey to the head early in the first quarter. Podziemski returned later in the period after a trip to the locker room and logged 33 minutes overall. He finished with a complete stat line, but this is it for Podz in Week 1. After Friday’s defeat, he said he would not play in Saturday’s game against the Suns.

Podziemski is available after missing Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers due to a lower-back injury. His return means that De’Anthony Melton will come off the bench. Ike gets his first NBA start, letting Green play his usual power forward role.

Podziemski is trending in the right direction after he was initially listed as questionable with a back ailment. He missed Wednesday’s loss against the Lakers with the same injury. Now that he’s been upgraded to probable, Podziemski, who appeared in all 82 games last season, should start alongside Stephen Curry against the Grizzlies Friday.

Podziemski did not play in Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers, leading to De’Anthony Melton taking the starting spot. Melton played 21 minutes, while reserves Will Richard and Brandon Williams played 20 and 18 minutes, respectively. Expect a similar rotation if Podziemski can’t play on Friday.

After missing practice on Monday, Podziemski will miss Wednesday’s opener against the Lakers due to lower back soreness. However, he may not be out long, with Kerr hoping Podz can play on Friday. De’Anthony Melton is the player whose role may expand the most while Podziemski sits.

Podz missed practice on Monday and will now be unavailable for the season opener. There are high expectations for the type of impact he’ll make this season, so they’ll certainly miss him. De’Anthony Melton will likely replace him in the starting unit.

This has been a bad 24 hours for the Warriors, who saw Stephen Curry suffer an ankle injury during Sunday’s open practice. Podziemski is dealing with a sore lower back, casting some doubt on his availability for Wednesday’s season opener against the Lakers. If he can’t play, De’Anthony Melton takes on added importance within the Warriors’ rotation.